Opportunity For Indie Filmmakers

Emily Hagins, one of Austin’s most well known  independent filmmakers is working on her latest feature film, My Sucky Teen Romance, that will raise the profile of Austin’s independent film industry and give other independent filmmakers an opportunity.

In My Sucky Teen Romance, the characters watch a B horror flick called Killer Roadkill. Emily is offering an opportunity for other filmmakers in Austin to have their work showcased in her film by creating a competition for filmmakers to produce a 3 to 8 minute film called Killer Roadkill that will be used in the movie.

Entries are due by July 27th via upload on YouTube. The winner gets two tickets to the premiere and more importantly to have their film featured in My Sucky Teen Romance.

Emily is working on a distribution deal right now that, if it goes through, could make My Sucky Teen Romance her most successful feature yet. Regardless of any distribution deal, she plans a DVD release and wants to put runner up films on the DVD so there is more than one opportunity here.

For more information and more details on the rules check out Emily’s blog.

http://suckyteenromance.blogspot.com/2010/07/filmmaking-contest.html 

Emily directed her first feature at the age of 12 and was featured in the successful documentary ‘Zombiegirl The Movie’. Emily is now 17 and My Sucky Teen Romance will be her third feature.

While the idea of using sustainable practices during production (and pre and post) may seem straightforward enough, taking on this approach yourself requires a lot of background information and knowledge of the how-to’s and the best local resources.  Ideally, producers will employ an expert that already has knowledge of the best practices and resources and will be able to most effectively implement these strategies.  However, if you’re going to tackle making an eco-friendly film yourself, it’s best to start reading up.

To make the research process a little less daunting, I’ve compiled a list of resources from general guides on sustainable filmmaking, to state specific information.  Find this list, and read more about my thoughts on the subject, here:

Austin EcoNetwork-Green Film Guides

As a follow up to my Green Film Intro, I recently posted about the film Away We Go.  There is a bonus feature on the DVD that discusses the green initiatives that were implemented during production and gives a great overall perspective of what it means to film green.  In addition to the behind-the-scenes featurette, a comprehensive study was conducted over the course of production to assess ways in which productions can reduce their carbon emissions and other negative environmental impacts. This study and the resulting adjustments made on the set of Away We Go are a significant step forward for those working to green the film industry.

I highly recommend those that haven’t yet seen the bonus feature to do so – I also recommend you check out my post on the topic here to get the full story (with links to the study and additional resources):

Austin EcoNetwork: A Green Film Exposed

Filmmakers have a lot to worry about:  raising funds, figuring out the logistics of production and post, actually getting people to see their film… And now they’re also supposed to think about saving the environment along the way?

With the growing awareness of global warming and the need to protect Earth’s resources, there’s pressure on all industries to clean up their act.  It’s this awareness, along with the recognition that filmmakers already have enough on their plate that has spawned the green movement within the film industry.  This is a relatively new area that goes behind the scenes and analyzes the environmental impact of the filmmaking process.

Filming green means adjusting current practices to reduce consumption, waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore lower production’s carbon footprint.  The green film movement seeks to develop resources and guidelines to help make these changes possible.  With the right resources in place, filming green won’t add to a filmmaker’s worries, but will in fact lighten the load.

In blogs to come I’ll give more in depth information on everything relating to green filmmaking (how-to’s, resources, philosophical thoughts… you name it).  If you can’t wait for more details, you can read my longer introduction here:

http://austineconetwork.com/content/green-film-introduction

I’ve seen a ton of “how-to” videos on the web showing how to use a specific piece of equipment or how to do a specific technique.  These are all fine, and might teach me a thing or two, but very few address knowledge over equipment.

One of the most lasting inspirations I’ve seen is the Field of View series by Chuck Peters and Digital Juice. Field of View takes a different approach, addressing techniques from a philosophical perspective by first asking “why?”

My favorite episode is “The Warehouse,” which addresses production quality and control of the shooting situation, punctuated by illustrating the point right in front of your eyes.

Field Of View is almost mandatory viewing for anyone looking to expand their skills, not their budget.

Field of View [Digital Juice]

Lovable Varmint Productions, which includes several AFM members, has begun production on the new web series “Cell.” The series is about a guy who finds himself locked up after a night of drinking, but he isn’t being held by the police. Production is taking place in an empty dollar store in Smithville.