Vision and Creative Problem Solving

Making Something Out of Nothing
Part One: Working with Words

Author:  Dan Bailes, WIFV Member

Women in Film & Video is preparing to launch a new WordPress blog this year.  While the new site is constructed, this new blog series by Dan Bailes will explore creativity, decision making, and problem solving in the process of fashioning videos, with a focus on client work and web videos.  

A plume of smoke surrounds a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division conduct an aerial assessment of an oil pipeline fire outside Forward Operating Base McHenry, Iraq, on Dec. 27, 2005. Elements of the 101st Airborne Division are deployed to Iraq from Fort Campbell, Ky. DoD photo by Spc. Timothy Kingston, U.S. Army. (Released)

In a sense it’s everyone’s worst nightmare.  How do you make a three-minute web video about a star employee and his high-profile project with no footage? Here’s what happened:  the producer arrived on location, ready to go. The profile subject, John, was an Iraq War vet who was now working on a program designed to pinpoint the location of individual troops on the battlefield.  As he discovered during combat in Iraq, the Army had no way to track an individual troop.  If that person was separated from their unit and unable to communicate, there was no way to find them.

The goal was to interview John, show him working on his project, interacting with his co-workers and anything else that could be used as visuals to tell the story.  There would be no narration, so everything depended on the interview and the visuals.  So far, pretty typical.

Of course the shoot had been set up carefully in advance.  But as the producer was setting up, he was told that he could interview John, but that was it.  No footage of what John was working on.  No footage of the room where he works.  It was all top secret and no, they wouldn’t mock up something, either. Nothing the producer could do would change their minds.

In desperation, after the interview, the producer shot some footage of John and two co-workers walking in a hallway.  And he found an empty classroom and shot them in conversation. And that was it. Not even any exteriors of the building were allowed.

In the interview, John was pretty good. He started out more reserved, but you could feel his sincerity as he talked about the problem he was trying to address and what it meant to him to work on finding a way to keep our troops safe.

So the first effort in putting the piece together was to construct it through John’s interview. His words would create the spine.  And they had to tell a story, too.  So of course there would be a lot of editing, just to build the arc of the piece.

And it also had to be emotional.  The theme of this profile (it was part of a series) was “Missions That Matter” and, as you can easily imagine, the piece had to make you feel the importance of what John was doing, too.

To be honest, John was like a lot of military people when interviewed, a little stiff and formal.  So it would be important to find those moments when the sincerity and pride played on his face and make sure he would be on camera for those.

But how to begin the piece?

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Paratroopers from 3rd Platoon, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division prepare to load a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter in the Bermel District of the Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan, Oct. 13, during an air-assault mission to detain a known militant. (Photo by U.S. Army Pfc. Andrya Hill, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs)

Beginnings are so important because in those first few seconds you have to hook your audience.  And because the piece is so short, you’ve got to set it up so you’re curious but also oriented to what comes next.  Because, in three minutes you don’t have a lot of time to develop the story.  So you could say, every second counts. 

The best choice in this case was to start with the problem.  So this is how John’s words begin (vo): 

“If you happen to go missing… your odds of survival are diminishing with each passing moment… that you’re out there in a war zone… and nobody knows where you are.”

A few things to notice.  First, John’s phrases are spaced out.  Those little pauses give the piece time for the words to create a little impact. Especially in the beginning.  When you slow things down, you’re also leaving space for the images to work their magic.

Second, the phrases are evocative.  They set the stage, create a little mystery and drama, and that’s important for these little web documentaries.  The closer they are to drama, the more punch they have.  And you want to build on that drama as the piece develops, hopefully leading to a punchline at the end.

So what would we want to hear next? Something personal.  That would cement the sense that this is John’s story, and it would help the viewer see it all through John’s eyes.

So this is what comes next in the piece (again, John speaking vo):

“I was there when many of my fellow military members had gone missing… some of them have not been recovered yet…  It’s always personal to me.  Every day that I get up, I think about those people…  

This is where John first comes on camera:

“And, ah, what can we do to improve that – so that we don’t have to come home without our fellow soldiers.” 

At this point, we’re almost a minute into the piece and we have John’s motivation, his mission, a little of his passion and the big picture.  So we’re ready to move the story along.  And that will be explored in the next post of this series.

060903-F-1644L-058
U.S. Army Spc. Jeffery Moore (left) prepares to exit an M 2 Bradley fighting vehicle at Camp Ar Ramadi, Iraq, following a raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 3, 2006. Moore is assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

About the Author:  Dan Bailes, WIFV Member

Expert at transforming complex issues into compelling stories, Dan Bailes began his career editing film and later video.  He spent 15 years creating issue advocacy and marketing media for trade associations and corporations and political media for national and state-wide campaigns for both Republican and Democratic candidates.  Dan also served as executive editor and writer on a seven-part international co-production exploring the economic and cultural development of emerging Asian nations.  He’s made award-winning documentaries for PBS, trade associations and educational organizations, and was co-creator, co-producer and writer for Medical Economics Video Magazine, a quarterly program on the business and practice of medicine that aired on Lifetime Television.

Feeling the Love!

Thank you for supporting WIFV’s Share the Love campaign and writing reviews for WIFV on Great Nonprofits.  WIFV was one of the top-rated nonprofits in 2012 and we’re on our way to the top again in 2013!

Thanks to you, WIFV’s Share the Love campaign was an amazing success.  We appreciate your support and hope you’ll continue to join us at Weds. One, our annual Media Job Fair and all of the other events coming up!  Thanks again for your help in making a big impact on film and media in our community.

#whyilovewifv

2012: A blog to remember!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.  Thank you to everyone for following, writing, and most of all for helping to create this content!  Wishing that the ideas and thoughts in this blog may inspire you to do more in 2013 – you are unique and you make a difference.  You can change the world.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 3 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

“Leave Nothing on the Table”, Crowdfunding Master Class

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
“Leave Nothing on the Table”, Crowdfunding Master Class
University of California Washington Center in Washington, DC
Sunday, December 2, 10 a.m.

Writer:  Vicki Warren, Women in Film & Video DC Member

Need cash to finish your film?  Or maybe a nest egg to start production?   If so, you may find yourself joining more and more filmmakers who are turning to crowdfunding as the path to fill a budget hole.  But as filmmaker Kiley Kraskouskas pointed out to those attending her Crowdfunding Master Class workshop, if you choose that route, you need to be prepared to give up sleeping.

Kiley Kraskouskas is an award-winning producer and co-founder and president of Thinking Forward Media.

Kraskouskas learned the ins and outs of the art of crowdfunding when she decided to produce her first film.   A friend, Andrea Papitto,  told her about an incredible annual music festival in the desert of Mali.  Papitto had attended Festival au Desert in 2008 and was so moved by the experience that she wanted to capture it on film.   She enlisted Kraskouskas’ help and together the two began planning how to make Essakane, the film, happen.   The first problem was time—by the time they made their decision, it was already June 2010 and the next festival would be in January 2011.  Papitto and Kraskouskas knew they could wait until January 2012, but there was a risk—Al Queda was already becoming more and more of a force in Mali and the presence of the terrorist group threatened the existence of the festival.  So the two women decided to go for it and use Kickstarter to raise the money they needed.

Kraskouskas estimated they needed $100,000 to make the film, yet research told her that smaller campaigns had a better chance of success on Kickstarter.  In fact, according to Kraskouskas, the most successful campaigns on Kickstarter are designed to raise less than $10,000.  So her first step and the first step in any successful crowdfunding campaign, according to her,  is developing a bare bones budget.   After some number crunching, some outreach for sponsors and in-kind contributions, Kraskouskas estimated the team could to to Mali and shoot the film for $20,000.  So that was the goal she set on Kickstarter.

Kraskouskas maintained that crowdfunding exemplifies the strength of weak ties—it is the democratization of small donors.  You start with your core community and then ripples go out from there.  So, it is vital to build up your community before you begin any crowdfunding campaign.  She added that it is important to keep in mind that people don’t want to fund you, the filmmaker; they want to fund a social issue or a change for the better.  She advised researching  successful campaigns of films similar to yours before starting.

“Design your campaign to tell a story,” said Kraskouskas,  “You need to describe why you need the money and why you need it now.”  She explained:

“Your project is your hero and your hero is going on a journey.”  

That journey and your campaign includes a well- executed trailer.  That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go out and shoot your film.  In Kraskouskas’ case, she had to tell the story of the festival in the desert without ever going there.  So she went to New York and interviewed three people in one day, two musicians involved in the festival in the past and another person well-versed in the history of Mali and the importance of the festival.  With the interviews, great music from past festivals, and beautiful stills, Kraskouskas put together a trailer that made the viewer feel like they were at the festival.  The short also captured why the festival is so important and why it needs to live on.

Once your trailer is up, Kraskouskas explained that your campaign should change constantly.  “The campaign itself has to be entertaining,”  Kraskouskas said.  “If people don’t see updates, they wonder what the filmmaker is doing.”  She cautioned that once your crowdfunding clock begins to tick, you must be prepared to work non-stop–checking email, checking Facebook, and then checking Kickstarter and then starting the whole process once again.

Important in the pace of the campaign is the strength of donations.    If you know you have a large donor in place, Kraskouskas advised having that person donate early on.  “You need to reach 10 per cent of your goal very quickly,” she said.  “The campaigns that fail, fail big and don’t even reach 10 per cent.”

Kraskouskas’ campaign did not fail and she raised $20,489 on Kickstarter.  Critical to the success, according to her, were the perks.   She stressed that deciding what to give people at all levels needs to be carefully thought through.  In her case, all of the perks given to donors pertained to the film.  Kraskouskas designed a perk for one person if they donated $10,000—they could come on the shoot if they paid their own way.  No one jumped at that perk.  Kraskouskas said the most popular perks are at the $50 contribution level.   “Remember one of the things that drives people to give is the reward,” she said.

After filming the Festival in the Desert, those involved with Essakane the film, went back to crowdfunding to raise a small amount of money to finish the project.  This time Kraskouskas said they decided to try Indiegogo, in part, because customer service at Kickstarter had been non-existent.

Kraskouskas outlined the differing fee structures of both crowdfunding site and explained that the biggest difference between the two sites is that at Indiegogo, you don’t forfeit any money donated to your campaign if you don’t reach your goal.  While you do pay a higher percentage of your funds to Indiegogo if you fall short, you still get to keep the rest.  Kraskouskas also talked in detail about the advantages of also using a fiscal sponsor so that all donations, regardless of the site, can be tax deductible.

Ironically, at the end of the day, in spite of the fact that Kickstarter has little or no customer service and you have to leave all your money behind if you don’t reach your goal, Kraskouskas said she was sorry they didn’t do their second campaign on Kickstarter–adding that deadline drama infuses a campaign with adrenaline.

Not all filmmakers feel the same.  Kraskouskas explained that Indiegogo is really making inroads in the film community.  The fact that less than 50 percent of the campaigns on the Kickstarter site are successful and that $36 million in donations is being left behind could be the reason why.

Kraskouskas shared the details of a number of campaigns on Kickstarter with attendees, including one for a sandwich press that imprinted grilled cheese sandwiches with the face of Jesus.  The press was aptly named Chesus.  While production values on the trailer could not have been lower, the campaign was successful—in a large part due to the charming nature of the couple selling the sandwich maker—Rob and Meg.  They were passionate about changing their lives and conveyed that feeling to the audience.

Another campaign she shared was for an Occupy Wall Street film.  The message of that trailer resonated with donors and the campaign raised $75,690 by telling them, “This is your chance to be part of history.”

Kraskouskas cautioned attendees not to set their sights too low.  She discussed a campaign by the Perkins School for the Blind that raised double the goal and could have raised more if sights had been set higher.  The School had a built-in community of parents and according to Kraskouskas, any crowdfunding campaign with a large group of supporters already in place always does well.

Kraskouskas praised the value of the human connection in making a campaign successful—if people donate; respond with a personal message.  She advocated calling or emailing the donor personally.   “Remember, you are building a community, not a donor list,” she said.  “The more Facebook followers you have, the more money you will raise.”   She also stressed that filmmakers need to continue engaging their supporters.  “While you need the money, you also need the people,” she told attendees and “So treat backers with respect.”

Kraskouskas learned the pros and cons of crowdfunding from start to finish because she was passionate about the film she wanted to make.  She wasn’t shy about sharing her experiences with the attendees of the Master Class, including how stressful the whole process became at times.   By following her step-by-step advice, the success of any campaign would no doubt be enhanced, but the best news of all, is that she is available as a consultant to help with others’ crowdfunding campaigns!

About the Writer:  Vicki Warren, Women in Film & Video DC Member

Vicki Warren is an award-winning producer and journalist.  She is most proud of her work as a part of the Here is New York: Voices of 911 project, an audiovisual archive of the stories of 9/11.

A Fork in the Road: Non-Linear Storytelling and Interactive Media

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California Washington Center in Washington, DC
December 1, 2012; 11:45 am

Writer:  Lindsey Sitz, WIFV DC Member

I went into “Non-Linear Storytelling” with great literary, choose-your-own-adventure classics such as “Zombie Penpal” on the brain.  Remember those gems?

YOU, as reader, step into the shoes of “protagonist,” and as the story progresses you’re faced with a number of choices—“Want to write your undead pen-pal a love letter? Turn to page 49.” Or…“Thinking about cutting off all communication with zombie friend and pursuing relationships with the living? Turn to page 93 to follow the advice of your therapist.”  As you read, the choices you make, decide the arc of your story.  Books like “Zombie Penpal” allow us to flip back through the pages and test the outcomes of different choices.  These novels offer us a redo button—now, if only life were that easy.

Jeffery Hall & Amber Jackson of WILL Interactive attempt to create a virtual redo button via the use of interactive film.  Their incredible creative team aims to change people’s behavior by using something fancy called Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulations (VEILS).  VEILS are films that recreate a plausible scenario—like walking into a party.  You enter a party—a stranger hands you a beer.  In the film, a title screen pops up allowing you to make a choice: do you drink the beer a stranger handed you or do you open your own beer?  Do you stick to a few beers or decide to drink that whole 12-pack?  A guy invites you up to his room—do you go with him? Do you crash on the couch?  Do you drive yourself home?  Each decision we make leads to a consequence— drinking one too many beers, having unprotected sex, driving drunk—are issues that teens struggle with constantly—what they decide to do can have life-altering and sometimes life-ending consequences.  WILL Interactive allows people to make these mistakes in the virtual world, so they won’t need that trusty redo button in real life.

One fantastic example of their work, is a project called “Partnering to Heal.”  Five characters play a role in the accidental and preventable death of a young hospital patient.  How could they have prevented it? (see example of choice screenshot below). If you’re at all interested in finding out, try the demo version of “Partnering to Heal.” In the demo version, you will step into the shoes of a 3rd year medical student—Manuel, and see what he could have done differently.

WILL Interactive’s films are aimed at a range of audiences—from children and teens (WILL Campus) to NFL rookies to doctors to soldiers (hostage negotiation—which Jeffery Hall claims also works great with spouses and kids).

Bruce Nesmith of Bethesda Softworks—a local video game company responsible for the creation of Skyrim (a popular game that sold 12 million copies)—described the power behind nonlinear media: we are “presented with a myriad of choices—but in the end you pick one.”  It’s all about taking ownership of your choice—that is what makes this medium so powerful.

Many of the questions aimed at the panel were about the skillset needed to be successful in creating non-linear media.  Who should you hire and where do you find them?  The unanimous answer was that you need to find people that are skilled in a number of areas—skilled writers (i.e. a person that can write a quality research paper, but also has the ability to write a humorous and informative script is invaluable), flexible thinkers with an ability to put themselves in many different shoes, great people skills (Amber Jackson at WILL Interactive interviews people from all types of demographics to collect research for their projects—including a recent stint spent with a group of middle-aged veterans.  You need to find someone that can relate to everyone), and programming skills (if looking for someone to help create a video-gamesque product).  If looking for employees with programming skills—check out local universities.  (Also—side-note: there are currently no female writers on Bruce’s staff, but he would KILL to have one on board, so if you are a great writer with some programming knowledge, go for it, ladies.)

The take home message was that interactive, non-linear media is an exciting and powerful realm to explore if you want to captivate and engage your audience, and potentially create BIG change.

About the Writer:  Lindsey Sitz, WIFV DC Member and MarCom Committee

Lindsey Sitz is an active member of WIFV, DC.  She is a creative writer, videographer, and editor–a beyonce-esque triple threat, if you will–or HOPES to be someday.  Currently, she is a freelance production assistant, assistant editor to Aviva Kempner, and a video fellow at p.h. balanced films.

Writer’s Guild East Web TV Master Class

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California, Washington Center in Washington, DC
Panelists: Julie Anne Emory, Timothy Cooper, Thom Woodley
Moderator: Ursula Lawrence
Sunday, December 2, 2012

Writer: Heather Godwin, Writer and Producer

Since I’m no longer twenty-four, I decided to jump on the chance to take the Web TV Master Class at the WIFTI International Summit to ensure I was staying current. Okay, the truth is I didn’t have a clue. What the heck is this Web TV I keep hearing about, and why can’t I keep blissfully ignoring it?  It turns out that Web TV is something no independent producer, amateur video geek or artist should ignore. It is an exciting new platform to share ideas, the new way for writers and producers to introduce the world to their work, and for the first time EVER – a platform for indie episodic TV.

According to Web TV pioneer Thom Woodley (who is also the writer of those brilliant Dos Equis commercials), the whole thing began in 2005 when YouTube came out and we got broadband.  The creator of the ground-breaking webisode series,  Greg and Donny, Thom played the teaser for his new Webseries  called All’s Faire,  a send-up on the cultish world of Renaissance Fairs.  The closing shot is of a sword plunging through a laptop with the titles, “Coming soon to a Computer near you.”  A sharp reminder of this changing world we live in.

Thom’s comprehensive presentation gave an overview of what he does (LOTS–check out the photo above) and the what and why of the Webseries world.  What is it? Episodic video entertainment on the web delivered via the Internet instead of through satellite, cable or broadcast.  What it is not is film or TV. He then broke out the many differences between the conventional platforms and the new web platform, from format style to how people watch it (on a small screen, for one) and provided interesting statistics.  For instance, in thirty seconds up to 33% of your audience is gone, in one minute 44% are gone, and almost 60% have abandoned it completely by the two minute mark.  Boy – better have something that grabs and keeps their attention.

The why was simple – because you can.  Web TV is indeed an indie producer’s paradise. You can shoot your project on an iphone, make something twenty seconds or twenty hours long (the longest YouTube video is two days) and it can be just about ANYTHING you want. The trick, of course, is to drive the number of views. Right now the winner is Gangnam Style at over eight hundred and sixty eight MILLION views.  Poor Justin Bieber had to take a backseat to the Korean dance marvel.  But seriously, what TV show has those numbers???

Next up was screenwriter and director, Timothy Cooper, whose newest web series was nominated for the WGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media in 2011.  His newest web series, Concierge, stars comedians from Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and other well-known shows.  Timothy walked us through the process of producing a webseries, which was very much the same as producing an indie film – find friends with gear, don’t make something on a spaceship, feed everyone, and spend your money on good audio. Of course, the trick with a web TV show is – you have less than 30 seconds to start your story.  Forget the first five pages – the show is over by then. “Don’t be precious,” he advised. “Less is more.”  His creative slide presentation (see above photo) broke down even the most basic production elements for those who haven’t stepped foot into the world of production. Because the truth is, even though YouTube is truly available to everyone who wants to upload a video, it’s still production.

Next up was Julie Anne Emory, an actress who writes, produces and directs her own award winning webseries, called Then We Got Help! Julie’s presentation covered the marketing aspects of not only how to get people to view your video, but also how to use Crowd Funding sources like Kickstarter (above photo is Julie showing the group her Kickstarter video) and Indiegogo to raise money.  Social media plays a huge part in the marketing of these series, since it is a web-based viewership. She also graciously included a chart of different companies that you could approach to help you create, distribute and monetize your project. She then broke it down into four categories: Old School, (i.e. NFL, Amazon.com, Ikea); Digital Majors (i.e.YouTube, Aol, Netflix); Digital Indies (i.e. deca, blip, BrightRoll) and Big Names (i.e. The Fine Brothers, vimeo, Digital Video Ecosystem) The overarching thing I got from Julie’s presentation was – like any independent project, to really get viewership, raise money and make money – you had to put in the time to become your own marketing, PR and distribution company.  But that shouldn’t stop those from posting something just for fun.

That’s the beauty of this new format – you can be serious about it, but it’s equally as accessible for those who want to do it just because. No beating down a door to get someone to see your personal masterpiece, simply join YouTube and make your own channel.

Ursula Lawrence concluded the three hour workshop with information about the East Coast Writer’s Guild of America and what a terrific resource it is for writers of all kinds. They now have an active Web TV component, also invite documentarians and have a really active chapter that hosts workshops, meet-ups and numerous resources any producer and writer can take advantage of.

I left inspired that the creative world has been handed a new universe to play in called the World Wide Web.  This is probably the most innovative, inviting and forgiving opportunity video artists have ever had to express themselves and make art for art’s sake.  What an exciting world we live in – I say dive in and swim with the geeks.

About the Writer: Heather Godwin, Writer and Producer

Heather Godwin freelances in television production, writing and events.  Her short documentary film, Ode to Treasure Hammock Ranch – A Film about Cows and Creativity screened at the Global Peace Film Festival and Bellamy Road Gallery in Florida under Spiritpaddle Films.

International Co-Productions

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California Washington Center in Washington, DC
December 2, 2012 4:15-5:45 pm

Writer: Faith DeVeaux, Writer/Producer/Director, member of WIFV DC

Ms. Schwartz is the founder and original producer of Washington, DC’s Helen Hayes Awards.

The number one tip given during the WIFTI Summit 2012 panel on International Co-Productions was to get out there and make contacts. Meg Villarreal, of U.S. Independents, moderated an informal discussion on the subject, with panelists Bonnie Nelson Schwartz, Producer at Cultural Strategies, a U.S. producer with extensive international experience,  and Helene Granqvist, CEO/Producer of Good Film and Postproduction, based in Sweden. Valeria Richter, a Danish producer who is Head of Studies at the Torino Film Lab, also contributed to the discussion.Bonnie stated that there are many different models, and referenced earlier panelist Peter Hamilton, who advised to go to the markets, and research the subject matter particular to each producer.Helene concurred, and noted that a lot of time is spent mingling and making connections. All noted that you will always have to pay in some way for this type of funding – there is no “free money.” Costs include having to spend certain amounts of money in the country providing the funding, and legal costs.

Helene advised not to try this type of partnership strictly for the money. Go for the people you’d like to work with, and the creative competence available. Bonnie listed where the story is set, and content, as additional reasons (besides money) to form an international co-production.Several markets were discussed, such as Cannes, Cinemart, Toronto, Berlin, Trieste, and the New Cinema Market as recommended to attend.

About the Writer: Faith DeVeaux, Writer/Producer/Director, member of WIFV DC

Faith DeVeaux is the author of When Duty Calls, and the  Writer/Producer/Director of the short films The Visit and Life and  Time. She is currently in post-production with her WWII documentary  Double Victory: Two Warriors in the Fight for Civil Rights During WWII.

Using the Short Format to Build Your Portfolio

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California Washington Center in Washington DC
Sunday, December 3, 2012

Writer: Christina Helm, Women in Film & Video Member

Ms. Davidson is a founding member of New Mexico Women in Film and served as its President for almost four years. She is currently Vice Chair of Women in Film and Television International. WIFTI Short Film Showcase, an annual March 8th event, was produced in 2011 and again in 2012 by Ms. Davidson.

Launching a film project is exciting, how do you make the most of a short film?
Story can be the easy part but once you’ve come up with an idea, what else do you need to think about?  Petrina D’Rozario, Janet Davidson, and Sheila Dennin brought first-hand experience to the Sunday WIFTI Summit and ScriptDC panel on Using the Short Format to Build Your Portfolio. A passion for the project you’re working on can make your short film great, but it can be easy to get lost in the details.  It can be hard to see beyond your own ideas for a project, so bringing in an outsider who’s not personally invested can be a good idea.   Their vision can help you move beyond the minute details that keep the film from being interesting, especially since short films need to grab the viewer’s attention in the first two minutes.  An audience member suggested using YouTube analytics, as it will tell you when viewers stopped watching.Holding a screening for feedback can be beneficial.  Panelists recommend creating a survey that viewers can fill out.  Tangible feedback can be extremely useful in the edit suite.  Make sure your screening isn’t only with friends; you need people who can be brutally critical if necessary.  The audience needs to leave with two or three take-away moments, after all we want our films to be memorable.

One point the panelists address, is the need to plan for your film to be successful and include that in your budgeting and strategy.  If your film is making the festival circuit or bought for distribution, you need to have budgeted for that in pre-production.  You have to travel with your film if a festival picks it up; you need to be there at the screenings and Q & A’s.   In assuming your film will be successful, you also need to consider what costs appear after your film is bought, i.e. SAG actors that had a deferred payment agreement now need to be compensated.

About the Writer: Christina Helm, Women in Film & Video Member

An active member of WIFV DC, Christina Helm is also a media designer at Mediatronics, and has been at American University for three years.  She is skilled in Final Cut Pro, video, film, and digital media, and was a freelance violinist for 13 years.

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The Social Network: Using Social Media to Pitch and Finance Your Project

WIFTI Summit 2012 and ScriptDC
University of California Washington Center in Washington, DC
December 1, 2012 4:15-5:45

Writer: Faith DeVeaux, Writer/Producer/Director, WIFV DC Member

Using social media as a way to raise money for your project was presented by Rachell Shapiro, Director of Development and Senior Producer at Rock Creek Productions and Laurie Scheer, Associate Faculty and Associate Writer Mentor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ms. Shapiro presented information on the most common social media sites, and presented a case study based on her own production of From Hell to
Here.

Rachell Shapiro is an award winning producer and director who has been producing top quality media content for ten years. She is currently the Director of Development and Senior Producer at Rock Creek Productions, Inc.

The most vital piece of information was to visualize the back end from the beginning of production. The benefits of using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Linked-In include that they are free, you can build an audience and reach people that you can’t by normal networking, engage readers, learn from others, and raise funds. It is recommended to begin engagement prior to finishing your film. Rachell recommends to post two to three times a day on Facebook, but at least 5 times a day on Twitter, and to ask your followers questions. She also provided a comparison of Indiegogo versus Kickstarter.Tips are: set a fundraising goal, tell people about your project, set up contribution levels, create perks, and make a pitch video of about 2-3 minutes long. Be prepared to put in a lot of effort into the online campaign, let people know it’s a passion project, make as many connections as possible before starting your campaign, and keep in mind that campaigns 30 days or less are more successful than other lengths of time.

Laurie Scheer is a former vice president of programming for WE: Women’s Entertainment. She has worked as an assistant, d-girl, and producer for ABC, Viacom, Showtime, and AMC-Cablevision.

Laurie Scheer added to Rachell’s comments by stating that you do not have to be on all of the social media sites that are on the Web.  Development people are looking at campaigns for possible material. She then continued the discussion by listing and  showcasing sites where one can pitch projects virtually. She particularly recommends tvtracker.com to get started researching studios and their needs. On virtualpitch.com, you can post a short video of yourself pitching your idea. Other pitch sites listed include inktip.com, querytracker.com, and triggerstreet.com.  Event and conference sites include pitchcon.org, nytvf.com, moviepitch.com, fadeinonline.com, and pitchfest.com. For all of these sites, Laurie reminds us to have your work registered with the WGA and/or have the copyright before posting your project, and there is no guarantee that your work won’t be stolen.  In addition, make sure your script is ready to go if someone should contact you, and have some pre-production planning complete. Resource sites include donedealpro.com, cynopsis.com, adweek.com, ypulse.com, deadline.com, gawker.com, and mediabistro.com.

Lastly, both speakers noted that both online and traditional fundraising options can be held at the same time. A new site, seed & spark.com, which incorporates both crowd funding and distribution, was introduced.

About the Writer: Faith DeVeaux, Writer/Producer/Director, WIFV DC Member

Faith DeVeaux is the author of When Duty Calls, and the Writer/Producer/Director of the short films The Visit and Life and Time. She is currently in post-production with her WWII documentary Double Victory: Two Warriors in the Fight for Civil Rights During WWII.

Take Two: Need Footage?

WIFTI Summit 2012
University of California Washington Center in Washington, DC
Friday, November 30, 2012  11:45a – 1:15p

Writer:  Hannah Buchdahl, WIFV DC Member

It’s complicated. Public versus private domain. ‘Fair Use’ versus Paying-up-the-wazoo. Copyrights. Clearances. Licenses. Finding footage is only half the battle. Figuring out if you can use it, how you can use it, and how much you have to pay for it is the real headache. But the experts on hand for this WIFTI panel were able to provide some useful guidance and food for thought.

Women in Film and Television Members from the Minnesota Chapter and Kimberly Skyrme, Chair, WIFTI International Board enjoy a panel discussion at WIFTI Summit 2012.

They included: Elizabeth Klinck, a visual researcher and member of WIFV Toronto; Nan Halperin, a researcher with ITN Source – one of the world’s largest, oldest global archives; Bonnie Rowan, a veteran researcher who spends her days in the “time capsule” that is the U.S. Archives and Library of Congress; Jocelyn Shearer, in charge of footage sales from the relatively new yet vast Discovery archive; and Peter Jaszi from AU’s Washington College of Law, providing the all-important legal perspective. WIFV DC’s own Judith Snyderman moderated the lively discussion.   Among the highlights:

• It’s still a slippery slope. The most dramatic change in recent years is the prevalence of digital archiving, though not everything everywhere can possibly be digitized, databased and uploaded to the web for viewing; downside is the loss of institutional knowledge (i.e. the trusted librarian who instinctively knew where to find things)
• There are different rules in different countries. Canada for instance, has what’s known as “fair dealing” as opposed to “fair use”.
• There’s almost always room to negotiate depending on how much footage you need and how you plan to use it; some footage clearinghouses have ‘preferred rates’ with particular archives which can help offset the cost to clients/producers.
• The job of a ‘visual researcher’ in film can be critical and provide much added value to a project; a good researcher knows how to weed through the maze of imagery and find the golden nuggets
• DC has one of the best, most accessible– and free- collections to be found anywhere, at least when it comes to digging into the past. Works of the U.S. government are in the public domain. There’s a treasure trove of material, including production stills from old government documentaries and various non-copyrighted images. Rowan suggests going to the National Archives and Library of Congress FIRST, to see what you can get on the cheap. And then turn to alternate resources to fill the gaps.
• Discovery only started licensing its content about 18 months ago to producers outside Discovery-commissioned projects; the footage owned entirely by Discovery from the past 25 years is not available through any alternate resource and focuses on relatively recent imagery (similar to a Corbis or Getty as opposed to an historical archive)
• Aggregators of images don’t actually own the content; sometimes it may be easier (and cheaper) to go directly to who shot the material, if possible
• Other places/sites of note: DVIDShub.net (for military stuff); Presidential Libraries, Civil Rights Museum and Library; Holocaust Museum, National Library of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, footagefarm.com, criticalpast.com (top-secret tidbit – you may want to use this site to track footage back to its original source for direct acquisition/negotiation)
• It’s impossible for every outlet to digitize every bit of footage or photo, so some things simply no longer exist or need to be transferred to a screenable format upon request. You can expect to pay some sort of processing fee regardless of whether you ultimately use the material.
• On the legal side, some good news for cash-strapped filmmakers in search of footage. The courts seem to be getting more friendly toward fair-use arguments and the like.
• There’s often a false assumption that if it’s on the net, it’s free (YouTube, etc.), but there’s still a genealogy of ownership. On the plus side, those images are just as subject to fair-use and fair-dealing as any other source.
• Afraid of expensive lawyers when the budget is tight? Jaszi says there is a network of lawyers who will offer advice and guidance to filmmakers for free. And resources are also available at AU’s centerforsocialmedia.org – including the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/best-practices/documentary/documentary-filmmakers-statement-best-practices-fair-use and “Yes, You Can!” – Where You Don’t Even Need Fair Use http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/related-materials/documents/yes-you-can-where-you-dont-even-need-fair-use
• In terms of looking toward the future… debate rages over what constitutes “documentary” or “educational” programming so the rules for non-fiction/reality programming are yet to be fully defined; there is no (or very limited) work being done to systematically save and archive web content that can vanish in a heartbeat when a temporary site goes away.
• If you see something of interest on the local news that may be of use down the road, call the station asap to try and get a copy of the footage; retaining and maintaining footage is not part of every organization’s core business model or mission – so don’t assume it will still be accessible a week later, let alone years. Think ahead.

About the Writer:  Hannah Buchdahl, WIFV DC Member

Hannah is a freelance writer and producer for a variety of news, entertainment and corporate clients as well as the cofounder and chief contributor (as “Mainstream Chick”) to Chickflix.net, a relatively new site featuring movie reviews from unique female perspectives.

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