J.C. Hutchins‘ newest work entitled “Personal Effects: Dark Art” is more than just a traditional novel it is an “out of book” experience. A collaboration between St. Martin’s Press and Jordan Weisman’s company Smith & Thinker, “Personal Effects: Dark Art” is a transmedia experience which enables readers to travel beyond the written word. Packaged to look and feel like a personal notebook, the novel is accompanied by a series of …

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I’m often asked about social media and how it can effectively be used to create awareness around a particular project. For those that aren’t familiar with Social Media, it represents a change in the way people create, discover, and share content online and off.

The following power point is an overview of how one can use to social media to extend a story and generate a conversation around their work. In …

Christine Vachon has produced an impressive body of work – Poison, Swoon, Kids, Safe, Happiness, Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Far From Heaven – just to name a few. Now Vachon and her company Killer Films are stepping into the digital space. In a recent announced partnership with Massify.com, Killer is taking a crowdsourced type approach to the development and production of next gen talent …

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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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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 …

Over the next few days we’ll be posting various videos from the DIY DAYS LA event. The day consisted of a number of keynotes (Robert Greenwald, Marshall Herskovitz), panels (Tommy Pallotta, Femke Wolting, Alex Johnson, Micki Krimmel, Mark Stolaroff, Ondi Timoner, Hunter Weeks, Saskia Wilson-Brown), case studies (M dot Strange, Arin Crumley, Lance Weiler), a series of special video presentations (Matt Hanson, Brett Gaylor, Brian Chirls, Christy Dena, Timo Vuorensola) …

This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Inventing the Movies is a new book by Scott Kirsner that details Hollywood’s epic battle between innovation and the status quo. Scott joins us for a discussion about cinema’s past, present and future. Of particular note for filmmakers is a discussion around the pull economy / attention economy and how building and maintaining audiences is going …

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This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Jeff Gomez turned his childhood passion for role playing into a successful transmedia venture. His company Starlight Runner Entertainment has expanded the intellectual property of brands (Hot Wheels, Magic: The Gathering , Pirates of the Caribbean) by developing cross-platform storyworlds that engage audiences in new and interesting ways. The design and builds of these worlds have …

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We often discuss the importance of embracing other models and schools of thought when it comes to filmmaking. Much can be learned from the music, gaming and software industries. Filmmakers are after all entrepreneurs and the following presentation at The Next Web Conference 2008 by Adeo Ressi, The Founding Member of TheFunded.com, holds some interesting insight into the venture funding world. Now most filmmakers won’t go searching for venture funding …

This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Our guest today is Ondi Timoner writer / director of the critically acclaimed doc DiG. Ondi’s most recent film, Join US is an intimate look at cults and mind control. Over the course of the discussion Ondi was very candid about the distribution of both her films and how the landscape for Docs has changed in …

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We’re pleased to welcome another contributor to the project – Mike Ambs. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike at SXSW last month and he along with Amanda Walker have created an interesting new project called Pedal. In his first post Mike shares some insight into the post production process and how various web 2.0 techniques can be applied with interesting results.
By Mike Ambs:: I should be upfront in saying …

by Marc Lougee
:: Mini Cameras: Small, like Diamonds There’s much talk on and offline concerning the advent of mini camera’s used in stop motion animation, specifically when used in tandem with DSLR’s. Some folks love’em, some hate’em, but either way, they keep proving themselves useful, relatively inexpensive and hard to boot when faced with the alternative of shooting all day only to find yourself facing a re-shoot for …

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This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Karin Chien is an independent film producer based in New York City. She’s produced a number of independent films such as Robot Stories, The Motel, and Undoing. For films such as Robot Stories and Undoing, Karin and her team applied a hybrid DIY approach to the theatrical release of each that created additional value in other …

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The following was originally published in Filmmaker Magazine. I thought it was appropriate to re-post since the FHTA submission period is coming to a close not to mention numerous filmmakers have been asking for info on ways to spread the word about their work. This article was one of a four part series entitled “Lessons in DIY.” Make sure to read the article it covers three other interesting projects that …

:: PROJECT -Nerdcore Rising is a fun glimpse into the world of the nerd hi-hop movement. Negin Farsad’s doc follows the trials and tribulations of MC Frontalot as he embarks on his first national tour; complete with strange opening acts, missing gear, and a single groupie that follows them from the Florida panhandle to New Orleans.
WHY: An entertaining look at a subculture that has legions of dedicated fans. What’s …

In this special video podcast Christy Dena interviews workbook project founder Lance Weiler. Dena, a cross-media entertainment strategist, mentor, designer, writer and PhD researcher conducted the interview for her universe creation podcast. Here’s what Dena had to say about the interview.
Filmmaker Lance Weiler is the special guest on this first video podcast at UC101. Weiler talks about the unique ways he has experimented with extending the storyworld of his …

Power to the Pixel is a conference that focuses on funding, producing and distributing films in the digital age. The next edition of PTTP will be held in Paris this coming June. Liz Rosenthal the founder of PTTP was kind of enough to share the following video. Please feel free to embed and spread.

The final Power to the Pixel session brings together five pioneering filmmakers who are reinventing the …

We’re happy to introduce another contributor to the Workbook Project. Steve Balderson is a DIY filmmaking machine. He self funds, produces, and releases his own films. Some of the films have been shot on 35mm and others on miniDV. He’s taken his work on tour and staged his own “freakshows” in cities across the country. We’re excited to have him join the project and if you happen to live in …

by Marc Lougee
:: Digital Image Capture and why we went there
From the outset, I wanted to shoot the film utilizing a high resolution source. My experience with digital capture for animation started while Animation Director on MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch in New York, where we had used three-chip cameras built for medical operating theatres. The image resolution & color was great for standard definition television, but held no promise of …

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by Alex Afterman – Since 2003 I have run a video label called Heretic Films. I used to refer to our company as a DVD label, and sure enough DVD is what we specialized in (with occasional forays in to theatrical and television, but I always was clear with potential acquisitions that first and foremost we were a DVD company).
Back in the old days it was easy to see …

M dot Strange reports – This was part of a presentation called “Adventures in self distribution” I describe the journey I took with my animated feature film “We are the Strange” From my bedroom to Sundance and beyond and back to my little studio again after turning down Hollywood deals and deciding to self distribute and make my films my way.
M dot Strange: Berlin Talent Campus 08 from M dot …

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 …

I’d like to take a moment to introduce a new contributor to the Workbook Project. Zachary Mortensen is an accomplished producer and co-founder of production company Ghost Robot. He’s produced numerous feature films, shorts and music videos. Recently, Zachary opened a new web shop called Space Unicorn which is helping independent filmmakers to build an online presence for their films. In his first article Zachary breaks down the importance of …

Kfir Pravda reports – With the entrance of Yahoo! to live broadcasting field, and rumors about Ustream / Microsoft flirt , live Internet broadcasting is back in the headlines. There are many players in this market, some doing better than others. Technology is not a major differentiator, however competitors vary in feature set. Let’s see who is doing what.
I focused on main and interesting players today – Ustream, …

by Marc Lougee – In April 2007, I dropped a little article here on the workbookproject.com laying out a very basic DSLR/ shooting system that I had assembled for production of the stop motion animated short film, Ray Harryhausen Presents: The Pit and the Pendulum. Using Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera’s in place of traditional film camera’s we’d found a high quality, cost effective digital alternative to 35mm film.
So, in …

Scott Kirsner of CinemaTech talks with Brian Chirls (filmmaker, technologist, self-distribution pioneer and workbook project contributor) about building audiences and harnessing the power of the internet.
Scott writes “Last Wednesday, I had a chance to sit down for a few minutes with Brian Chirls, the tech guru who helped Arin Crumley and Susan Buice build an audience for ‘Four Eyed Monsters.’ More recently, he has been working with John Sayles on …

The news of deals being struck is beginning to filter out of Park City. But behind the deal making that has become legendary is the reality of having to deliver the film. Long after the buzz has dwindled producers will start the long haul of delivery. For some outlets it can be minor but for others it can be a labyrinth that will take money from you at every turn.
It …

The promise of unlimited choice and shelf space due to an emerging on-demand universe of content has many in the industry struggling to figure out how new media revenue should be divided. This highly contentious issue is at the center of the current WGA strike. But while the WGA and the Hollywood studios duke it out over Internet residuals, many independent filmmakers are simply trying to figure out how to …

I’m pleased to introduce a new contributor to the Workbook Project. Kfir Pravda is a marketer, content creator and blogger. His blog “Media, Technology and Rebel Filmmaking” is read and quoted by investors, venture capitalists, CEOs of technology companies, content creators and bloggers.
Kfir reports – In the past things were clear – broadcast television required a specific level of production. Lighting, sound, camera quality – all were parts of …

This edition of TCIBR is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – Our guest today is doc filmmaker Don Argott. Don exploded onto the scene with his feature debut Rock School, an entertaining doc about the Paul Green School of Rock. Rock School was acquired by Picture House for a low seven figure advance out of the LA Film Festival. For his newest doc Two Days in April …

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At the beginning of 10 MPH you’ll see Josh and I trying to get sponsors to help out with the whole Segway thing. It was really tough as many of the companies we talked to felt there was no opportunity for ROI. Independent art was not worth their investment. But over time with some work on our strategies, we’ve learned how to intrigue sponsors more and were actually able to …

Content is going to become even more open in 2008… With the change in the media climate and distribution experiments such as Radiohead’s In Rainbows (in music), and Four Eyed Monsters (in film) which have open qualities (temporarily available to watch or listen/download for free, for example) but are not necessarily truly open content, it is getting harder to tell what you can and cannot officially do with your media.
These …

This edition of DiF is brought to you by IndieFlix and Breakthrough Distribution – In this edition of the Design in Film podcast, we take a look at Michael Haneke’s remake of his own 1998 film “Funny Games.” Both brutal and thought provoking the film takes an interesting minimalistic approach towards the design of its trailer, poster and site. Scroll down to listen to the podcast.
Trailer

Poster:

Site:

To listen …

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Tom Quinn reports – With Slamdance only a month away, I thought it may be worth detailing the process of prepping THE NEW YEAR PARADE for its Park City premiere. Fortunately for us, the IFP Narrative Rough Cut Lab had prepped us on dealing with distributors, sales agents, and planning our festival strategy. But even with their guidance, I found myself initially overwhelmed by the tidal wave that hit last …

We hear this all the time. It’s about who you know. Most professions in life seem to benefit from networking, but in filmmaking it is about as important as it gets. And getting out to network can become very difficult when you are spending weeks and months in the edit room and have devoted your entire income – plus whatever you can muster up on your credit cards – on …

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 …

* PROJECTS
Esther Robinson’s debut feature, A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory is a touching and deeply personal cinematic journey. The doc centers on her Uncle Danny who was a talented filmmaker and Andy Warhol’s lover. In 1966, Danny mysteriously disappeared. The film’s subjects include Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, Paul Morrissey, Brigid Berlin, Billy Name and what may be the earliest known footage of the …

One of the goals of the Workbook, is to create a “social open source” project that encourages content creators to share information with one another. Yesterday we held the first in a series of discussions around the current state of the industry. A group of filmmakers came together at the IFP’s NYC offices for some food and conversation.
Participants included: Josh Zeman, Zachary Mortensen, Esther Robinson, Doug Block, Ry Russo …

In my 2nd job out of college, I worked for a dotcom in the San Francisco area. It was high times and everyone was rolling. I had the privilege of sitting next to the PR person they hired and she had quite the silver tongue. I tend to absorb as much as possible, so I listened to her pitching People Magazine, ZD Net, USA Today, and various other news agencies. …

The new Case Study section of the Workbook, will focus on projects in development, production and distribution. The first case study details the Head Trauma cinema ARG (alternate reality game) which not only promoted the movie’s DVD and VOD release but also became its own revenue stream.
Like everything else associated with the Workbook the Case Study section is an experiment, so if you have questions, suggestions or know of …

If you’ve never dealt with trying to get into film festivals and that’s in the plans, go buy Chris Gore’s

With the advent of the Internet, we make instant judgments on something after viewing its website. Especially movies. Before making films, Josh and I both worked for a software company managing websites. Between this and numerous things we tried to do on the side, we learned how to design websites and master web marketing. This, in my opinion, is one of the keys to our success. The following is a …

Make movies yourself. Distribute them on your own. 10 MPH’s director Hunter Weeks writes a thorough overview of how he and Josh successfully made 10 MPH one of the most talked about indie films of 2007.
AN INTRODUCTION:
If you watch 10 MPH, you’ll see that Josh and my approach to getting into the film industry was one of blind faith. We had no formal training in making films and very …

* PROJECTS
What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today? Narrated by Peter Coyote, the film mixes old school narration with a new school visual style. THE TRIBE weaves together archival footage, graphics, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry to take audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of both the Barbie doll and the Jewish people- from Biblical times to present …

by Alex Afterman – Current conventional wisdom is that independent distribution is a broken system. Well guess what? Coming from someone inside the business that’s absolutely right.
There are so many more challenges and problems these days in indie distribution than when I started Heretic Films, my company, 4 years ago. First of all, the digital cinema revolution – which is, don’t get me wrong, a great thing, …

This edition of “TCIBR” is brought to you by IndieFlix – Today our guest is attorney Dan Staorius. Dan specializes in entertainment law and his clients include a cross section of people working in film, television, music, publishing and interactive media. In our discussion we focus on lessons that can be learned from the music industry. In many ways music leads film and the current trend in artists going direct …

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Tom Quinn reports – After an amazing week at the IFP Market and Conference, I am prepping my film for Friday’s Sundance submission deadline. The six days spent in New York were all remarkable thanks to months of hard work by the IFP staff, especially Amy Dotson who programmed the Lab and Emerging Narrative sections. Here’s a quick overview of our week:

Lab fellows with John Sayles …

In a special multi-part series along with live updates from the IFP Film Market, filmmaker Tom Quinn (The New Year Parade) will document his journey as part of the IFP’s narrative rough cut lab. Selected out of hundreds of submissions Tom’s film joins 10 other projects as the IFP helps to pull back the curtain on post, festivals and distribution.
This past June, I was fortunate enough to attend the IFP …

OpenSourceCinema.org is a collaborative documentary project to create a feature film about copyright in the digital age. The film entitled, Basement Tapes is a crowdsourced doc that welcomes submissions from the community mixed with footage shot around the world by a traditional crew.
WHY: Projects like OSC and A Swarm of Angels are new models in production and distribution. They harness the power of internet to build community around a project …

* PROJECT
We Are the Strange, M dot Strange’s 2006 soon to be cult classic is a stop motion odyssey. A collision of gaming, anime, and stop motion animation, WATS is a breath taking cinematic head trip. At times the film looks like it was made for 70 million dollars but in reality it was crafted by Mike Belmont over a 3 year period in his studio loft.
WHY: WATS is a …

By Rene Antunes
- You’re a filmmaker. You’ve finished an amazing film which has both a russian roulette scene and a beautiful Tunisian woman saying “Because he doesn’t know how to love.”. It’s brilliant; you want everyone to see it, and it’s time to put it out into the world. Before you do that though, you’ll need to make your film presentable and identifiable to audiences and distributors alike. You then …

Jennifer Venditti’s directorial debut, BILLY THE KID is a touching and haunting portrait of a small town underdog named Billy. When we saw the doc at SXSW, we were struck by its depiction of teenage angst, love and awkwardness.
WHY: The DIY film is currently in limited release in select theaters in a bid for Oscar consideration. For dates and screening locations click here.

THIS CONFERENCE IS BEING RECORDED – Our …

Our guests today are festival programmers Doug Jones (LA Film Fest) and Matt Dentler (SXSW). Doug and Matt share their insights into the festival process and how filmmakers can best prepare for their journey on the festival circuit.

For more info on Doug and the LA Film Fest click here.

For more info on Matt and SXSW click here and here.

To listen NOW click the play button below.

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Today our guest is Nicholas Reville, Executive Director of the Participatory Culture Foundation. PCF is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to create tools for broader, deeper engagement with culture and politics. They are working to ensure that the new mass medium of internet TV is open and independent, just like blogging and podcasting. They have a number of FREE tools and services that content creators can use to reach …

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