By Gregory Bayne – As some of you know, I recently completed a successful funding campaign using Kickstarter.com to raise the initial capital needed to get my new film, Jens Pulver | Driven, an intimate documentary about legendary UFC Champion Jens Pulver, off the ground.

The end result of the campaign was $27,210 pledged, my goal was $25,000, via 410 contributors, in 20 short days.

Since the close of the campaign I …

On March 27th The Conversation comes to Columbia University. Started in 2008, The Conversation is a look at the future of filmmaking and how advancements in technology are enabling new opportunities for filmmakers. The program for March 27th is extensive and will bring together a number of innovative thinkers in the space. For more information visit www.theconversationspot.com

We had a chance to sit down with Scott Kirsner to discuss The …

Scott Kirsner sent over this interview that he did with “Heroes” creator Tim Kring. The discussion centers on crafting stories that transcend a single medium, spreading across television, books, games, and online graphic novels. Interviewed by Scott Kirsner, editor of CinemaTech and author of “Fans, Friends & Followers.”

Special Note for those in LA: Scott Kirsner and Peter Broderick will be holding a
DISTRIBUTION U.: A One-Day Crash Course on the New …

We’re pleased to announce the second season of RADAR which is produced by WBP Labs, a division of the WorkBook Project. RADAR is available on mobile devices and online thanks to a partnership with Babelgum. Starting today and running for the next 12 weeks a new episode of RADAR will premiere each Wednesday. For more info and to watch episodes from season one visit the RADAR site.
Ten people …

Tomorrow IFP’s annual Independent Film Week and Filmmaker Conference kicks off with 5 days of keynotes, panels, meetings and screenings. The following are a few highlights from the upcoming program. To see the full program visit www.independentfilmweek.com Ana Domb will be on hand to cover the activities for WBP so check back for updates.

Paying the Bills – Sustaining Your Film Career
How do you make a living as an independent filmmaker? …

DIY DAYS heads to LA on November 19th with a evening of speakers, talks, networking and a few very special surprises. More details coming soon. In the meantime here’s a talk from DIY DAYS Philly.

TALK – FROM HERE TO AWESOME: Production has become democratized while digital distribution is quickly becoming commoditized thus fragmenting the marketplace and resulting in little to no revenue. The problems that the independent film industry …

Last weekend over 300 people attended DIY DAYS Philadelphia. The event was our largest to date. Over 40 speakers and 22 sessions provided insight into how those working in film, games, software, music and design can fund, create, distribute and sustain from their creative efforts.
We’re currently looking for suggestions for speakers, subjects, and locations for our next DIY DAYS event targeted for later this fall. Also a special thanks …

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When the time came for Jamie King and the Noble League of Peers to release their film entitled Steal This Film, a documentary about copyright and intellectual property, they took it directly to where their audience lives. Through a promotional deal with a number of the top torrent tracker sites, King and company were able to secure various placements such as logo swaps and banners encouraging people to download the …

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This year before Sundance kicked off a number of exhibitors, bookers and filmmakers gathered for an event called Art House Convergence. During the three day conference 51 Art Houses met in Salt Lake City to discuss the major issues facing the industry and how they can work together to share resources. The following video is of producer Ted Hope’s closing keynote. Hope’s remarks present his vision of where filmmakers will …

This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix – This week our guest is producer and Filmmaker Magazine editor Scott Macaulay. Our conversation centers on the fall issue of the magazine which is on newsstands now and also available via a new digital subscription option complete with page turning, search and a download as PDF feature (see sample). Scott explains the connections between articles and sheds some interesting …

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An entertaining look at what it takes to get your work to an audience. “Four Films, Six Dudes and One Van” As the tour hits San Francisco, the boys hit the streets harder than ever in an attempt to pack a full house. They look everywhere for a heart, a hand to hold on to, and a face of somebody who needs you. Everywhere Rennie looks, he just finds trouble. …

Scott Kirsner sat down with Fred Seibert the other day to have a discussion about the future of web content. Fred Seibert was a key creative force at Nickelodeon, MTV, and Hanna Barbera, and now runs nextnewnetworks and Frederator, both of which focus on creating and distributing content for the digital realm, and building communities around it.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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4 films, 35 cities, 1 van – welcome to the Rangelife DIY tour. We catch up with the boys in Santa Fe, where they prank Steven Seagall, sing karaoke, and get beer sprayed in their faces. Actually just Brian on that last one. WATCH THE VIDEO

Today Power to the Pixel a digital distribution and film innovation forum kicks off with a live streamfrom the conference.
CONFERENCE at NFT1, BFI Southbank
A day of keynotes, presentations and round tables by leading digital visionaries followed by an evening drinks reception at the Marriott Hotel, County Hall. Through a variety of case studies, experts will speak candidly about the challenges they face, the opportunities available and the …

Mindshare is a select group of experienced, interesting people with niche abilities. They are people that do, and are there to help you do the same. It is a service through which you can access audience building, social media, branding and distribution specialists in an immediate, direct and transparent way through a personal system, available anytime.
Whether you are a independent filmmaker or musician, a non-profit, a boutique agency or a …

This coming weekend the Workbook Project will stage two free events in San Francisco.
FHTA invades San Francisco – Screenings and DIY DAYS
Friday August 15th at 8pm – Mint Plaza and the Mezzanine 444 Jessie St.
Cinegogo, myspace, and the Workbook Project present:
From Here to Awesome – You’re the Festival Programmer
For more info and to secure your free ticket visit www.cinegogo.com
Sunday August 17th 10:30am to 8pm – 111 Minna Gallery
Current TV, From …

Lisa Salem covers all things audience for the workbook and in this week’s post she shares some audience insight from Bob Dylan. “How to Build Your Audience and Keep It” is the first of a number new additions to the Workbook network. The site features an extensive “how-to” on building an audience in addition to an ongoing blog that features interviews, insight and examples.
I’m reading Bob Dylan’s autobiography ‘Chronicles’ – …

This week is an exciting week for us. The project is growing by leaps and bounds. As we head towards our 2 year anniversary later this fall, many of the things that we’ve placed on our road map have been met, others are still in the works. But today is a special day for a number of reasons. Our first large extension of the Workbook Project – From Here to …

Since DIY DAYS and FHTA are experiments and extensions of the Workbook Project, we’ll be documenting their progress so we can share all the results.

How do we sustain ourselves as filmmakers and storytellers in this day of shifting film distribution systems? How do we monetize our film and get the word out? Presented by From Here to Awesome, the Workbook Project and Current TV – DIY DAYS aims to answer …

In addition to discovery and distribution, From Here to Awesome has a special FREE educational section entitled DIY DAYS that is an extension of the Workbook Project. The DIY DAYS events are a joint effort between FHTA and Current TV and will consist of workshops, case studies, panel discussions, and screenings. LA and SF are locked and we’re working on events for Boston and NYC. All the activities will be …

The IFP has announced the projects for the 2008 Narrative lab and for the first time one of the films will win a $50,000 finishing grant. For more on info visit the IFP.org or the lab blog.
The selected projects for the 2008 Narrative Lab and Lab Fellows include:
At The Foot Of The Tree – Alfie, a freckle faced eleven year old boy, seeks heartfelt and poetic revenge for the beating …

First off, if you haven’t checked out Brett Gaylor’s open source cinema project you should. It is an exciting doc project that pulls from collaborators around the world. Brett is currently looking for some materials to finish the film. Here’s a request that he sent out to his Open Source Cinema members. If you’d like to join this ground breaking project visit http://opensourcecinema.org
Hello dear members of Open Source Cinema! This …

IFP Independent Filmmaker Labs – Deadline April 11 (Narrative Rough Cut Lab)
Given the pivotal role that festivals play in launching emerging filmmakers, IFP’s Rough Cut Labs are designed to assist in tackling the creative and technical challenges of completing projects before they are submitted to festivals. Led by seasoned independent producers, the Labs help independent filmmakers achieve the full potential of their material prior to industry exposure by providing four …

For those of you who don’t know FROM HERE TO AWESOME is an extension of the workbook project. In the spirit of bringing an open source philosophy to various parts of the filmmaking process, FHTA is focused on education, discovery and distribution. Over the next few months leading up to the festival’s kick off in Paris on June 3rd, FHTA is constructing a series of vids that detail the current …

We’ve been working on a new social experiment for the last six months and this coming Thursday it will take its first steps. From Here to Awesome is a discovery and distribution festival. The hope is that by bringing together audiences, films, promotional partners and distribution outlets, FHTA can create opportunities for filmmakers that enable them to control their own rights and receive a direct financial return from their work. …

One of our favorite crowdsourced projects, A Swarm of Angels is expanding. We’re members and supports of the project which is challenging the way films are funded, produced and distributed. We sat down with founder Matt Hanson to discuss the Swarm last year. Listen here.
“Phase 3 is where A Swarm of Angels really takes flight. With over 1000 members from around the world, and after a longer than anticipated pause …

M dot Strange reports – So I was lucky enough to be summoned to make an animated music video for one of my favorite bands “Mindless Self Indulgence” I used Cinema 4d 9.1 w/Cactus Dans tools, and After Effects 6.5.
I thought I would out together a little thang documenting my work on the Mindless Self Indulgence music video “Animal” There’s a ton of music video making-of’s out there but since …

Via Filmmaker – The nominees for the Gotham Awards‘ Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You will be screening Friday, Nov. 16 – Monday, Nov. 19 at The Museum of Modern Art. Here’s a look at this year’s nominees. The winner, selected by Filmmaker and MoMA’s dept. of film, will be announced at the Gotham Awards Nov. 27. Click here for more on the screenings.

To learn more about …

A year ago today we started the Workbook Project. Here’s a quick look at some of the stats over the course of 2007.

45 podcasts
13 contributors from 6 countries
over 100 posts
over 2 million hits
over 170k unique visitors
over 2,000 email list and feed subscribers

The following are some plans for the 2008.
- more contributors and posts
- expanded theatrical mapping project
- content partnerships to extend the reach of the …

There are two new additions to the Workbook Project.
The first is a new group blog for participants of the IFP rough cut lab. The blog will detail the trails and tribulations of making and taking films into the market place. IFP rough cut lab blog
The second addition is an aggregation page which focuses on film related news, tech, people, projects, and media. If you know of a feed that …

A number of panels and interviews from last week’s IFP Filmmaker Conference have surfaced online. The following is a collection of media and links.
Scott Kirsner from CinemaTech talks with Brett Gaylor, a Montreal-based filmmaker who is exploring new ways that large groups can collaborate on documentaries. Shot at the 2007 IFP Filmmaker Conference in New York.

The Four Eyed Monsters team recorded a panel on Viewer Habits with Andrew Barron (Rocket …

Producing a feature-length motion picture is a daunting task. All the more so if you do it without the support of a major studio using money you have raised yourself. But according to independent filmmaker Lance Weiler, “the real struggle” comes after the film is completed. Distributing a theatrical feature — and doing so profitably — poses an even greater challenge. As Weiler put it during a recent interview with …

There is a new resource for those looking for information on ways to fund work. “The Film Finance Handbook – How to Fund Your Film,” provides a comprehensive look at traditional and new models of funding.

“With information on funding and tax incentives in over 50 countries, details of more than 1000 funds, a new chapter on the Internet, 400 entry glossary and significantly expanded information about low and microbudget production, …

In an interesting experiment FOUR EYED MONSTERS has joined forces with film community site Spout.com Together they are running a 1 week promotion which started yesterday. The promotion has the full movie running on youTube and for each person who signs up for a FREE Spout.com account FEM will receive a dollar.

In traditional models of distribution this type of internet releasing has been known to cause issues with selling …

Today we focus on the Writers Guild of America scandal that has been heating up over the last few weeks. In question is the multiple millions of dollars that are owed to guild and non-guild members for foreign-levies royalty payments. We are joined by Stefan Avalos (The Game, The Last Broadcast, Ghosts of Edendale) who has written an investigative piece exposing the scandal, and JF Lawton (Pretty Woman, Under Siege) …

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I’ve heard a lot of people challenging the theatrical experience – box office numbers are down from previous years, and home theater systems are only getting better. Not to mention all the competition for viewers attention thanks to a 500+ channel universe, broadband and a shrinking amount of free time. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that people still want that communal experience that a theatrical film can provide. …

INDEPENDENT FEATURE LABS
Narrative Rough Cut Labs
June 12-15 , 2007
New York City
Submission Deadline: April 27
Apply: www.ifp.org/labs
Given the pivotal role that festivals play in launching emerging filmmakers, IFP designed its Rough Cut Labs to assist in tackling the creative and technical challenges of completing projects before they are submitted to festivals.
Led by seasoned independent producers Scott Macaulay, (Producer, Raising Victor Vargas and editor, Filmmaker Magazine) and Gretchen McGowan, (Producer and/Executive in Charge …

Today’s guest is Cory Doctorow. Cory is an accomplished science fiction author, blogger and internet activist. In addition he is co-editor of the popular blog boingboing.net. A proponent of creative commons licenses, he has released his books under a variety of licenses that allow for free downloads, but charge for printed versions. In our discussion we cover issues of Digital Rights Management, digital downloads, and the concept of how …

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Today’s guest is filmmaker Joe Swanberg. Over the last three years Joe has made four features Kissing on the Mouth, LOL, Hannah takes the Stairs, Nights and Weekends and a web series for Nerve called Young American Bodies. He makes personal lo-fi films with a core of collaborators (Mark Duplass, Andrew Bujalski, Greta Gerwig, Kent Osborne, Ry Russo-Young, Kevin Bewersdorf and Todd Rohal) similar in approach to the way John …

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I’ve just returned from SXSW where I spoke on two panels. One was about building an online fan base and the other dealt with blogging about film. In both cases the issue of discovery was discussed. Many people wondered how they could expand their audiences and readership.
Everyone talks about the democratization of the internet but with so many sites, blogs and movies being made how does someone find you in …

Site: http://www.loopnote.com
Service:
Provides a unified messaging solution that allows you to easily stay in touch with a group people through a single interface.
Status:
Just launched. Still in beta so certain features such as IM verification are a bit spotty
Of note:
1. loopnote makes it easy to send updates quickly to a group of people – via sms, email, IM or RSS
2. Simple registration for you and your group – group members can select …

Vodpod is a video sharing site with a focus on community. A couple months ago we reviewed their service. This past week they launched an AMAZING embeddable video player. The player can work in social networks, blogs and sites.
What makes the player so interesting is that it can play videos from youTube, google, dailymotion, metacafe, blip.tv and vod:pod, all in a single player. To get your own pod and player …

Today’s guest is M dot Strange. His newest DIY HD res animated feature, We Are The Strange, is fresh off a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. We Are The Strange is a collision of gaming, Anime and filmmaking that challenges the current convention of narrative. But just as impressive is the way that M dot Strange created a large internet following prior to any screenings with just a …

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Today’s podcast is a special DIY roundtable on film production with Mark Stolaroff (producer and founder of the No Budget Film School), and Paul Harrill (filmmaker and blogger Self Reliant). Over the course of the discussion we cover a number of topics such as; fundraising, producing, directing, casting, working with cast and crew, and how to obtain high production values with little money.

More about today’s guest:
Mark Stolaroff is an …

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Our guests today are Susan Buice and Arin Crumley. Four Eyed Monsters is Susan and Arin’s first feature film. When a festival run didn’t result in distribution, Arin and Susan took matters into their own hands. By harnessing a variety of free sites and services, they’ve built an impressive audience for their own work. In our conversation we discuss ways for filmmakers to build their own audiences, and the …

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Our guest today is George Ratliff. George is an accomplished writer / director of both documentaries and narrative films. His latest film Joshua, is a psycho thriller about a sibling rivalry gone bad. The film stars Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga. This week, Joshua will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. We caught up with George to discuss his work and his plans for Sundance.

To find out …

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One of the missions of the Workbook Project is to create a bridge between filmmaking and technology. In an effort to identify new ways to harness the power of the internet, we like to demonstrate things in practical ways. For instance, when I found out that I couldn’t attend the festivities in Park City this year, I started thinking about ways that I could in a virtual sense.
Since I’ve been …

UPDATE:
About a month ago we started the theatrical mapping project in an effort to build a venue database. The map is meant to be “embed and spread.” If you know of a good digital screen feel free to add it. Once something is added, it will be viewable where ever someone has embedded the map. We’ve gotten a number of emails from people who have placed it into their …

The Workbook Project has really taken off over the last 6 weeks – over 20,000 visitors and the mailing list just broke the 300 mark. The weekly podcast, “This Conference Is Being Recorded” has generated a bit of notice in the Blogosphere. We’ve received coverage from DVguru, Cinematech, DIYfilmmaker, Filmmaker, ZoomIN and a slew of others.
“This Conference Is Being Recorded” is now listed with a variety of feed and podcast …

Our guest today is Eric Bassett, managing partner of Absurda. Absurda handles all of David Lynch’s interactive properties and is currently overseeing the DIY release of David’s newest digital feature, INLAND EMPIRE. Eric walks us through the release strategy that has David and the film traveling across the country this winter.

For more information on INLAND EMPIRE click here

To listen NOW click the play button below.

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Our guest today is Robert Greenwald – producer, director and political activist. Greenwald and the team at Brave New Films, have created a number of politically charged documentaries – Outfoxed, Wallmart – the high cost of low price and most recently Iraq for Sale – the War Profiteers. Over time they have created their own model for making and distributing their work and in the process, have helped to …

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You’ll need a youTube account to test it. Click here to create your own “stream”
YouTube has a new ideas incubator called test tube. The tube’s first concept is a feature called “streams,” which enables users to chat while sharing videos. Recently Lycos Cinema launched a similar service around feature length films. But unlike Lycos Cinema, which is limited to a PC running IE 6 or higher, youTube’s streams can be …

Our guest today is Scott Kirsner a journalist, author and blogger. In our conversation we discuss his new book “The Future of Web Video”

More on the book http://stores.lulu.com/kirsner
Scott’s blog http://cinematech.blogspot.com/

To listen NOW click the play button below.

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Our guest today is Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix. In our conversation Ted discusses how filmmakers can build audiences for their work, Netflix’s new production / distribution arm Red Envelope Entertainment and offers a glimpse into the company’s future plans.

To listen NOW click the play button below.

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