Women In Film

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Women in Film Organization

Another wonderful organization we can join as filmmakers is WIF: Women in Film. Of course you need to be a woman – it is for women who work in film.

This non-profit organization, located out of Los Angeles, California, is geared to help women in the media production business. It offers them so many benefits that it is impossible to find a reason not to join.

WIF’s mission: “Founded in 1973, Women In Film and its Women In Film Foundation provide for members an extensive network of contacts, educational programs, scholarships, film finishing funds and grants, access to employment opportunities, mentorships and numerous practical services in support of this mission”.

What a wonderful thing to find! Support for women in film. I have experienced a little of the seemingly male dominated field and find this organization to be a haven for women. It offers so many positive programs and opportunities to help women gain their feet in the profession of film.

After researching other organizations and associations, I have to say that this one offers a plethora of benefits to its members. There are just so many things: from education, employment, workshops to events: a member would never be stifled or bored in this group.

One of benefits of joining WIF is the networking opportunities. This organization is host to many industry professionals and well-known women in film. Being able to meet others and get your name out there is a huge advantage. As the website states, it may not what you know but who you know, that gets you the next job. I agree. Having good contacts in show business is essential to move forward. Having mentors in the business can help any career get a start or a boost. I am so very glad to see how they offer the networking breakfasts. This would be a good reason to live close to L.A. and join WIF. The Beverly Hills breakfasts sound so interesting and exciting. I encourage you to check out the website for more information at http://wif.org/foundation/.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful place for any woman working in film. WIF offers so many benefits that the membership fee will pay for itself quite quickly and the opportunities are endless. 

References

Women In Film: WIF. 2012. http://wif.org.

Inspiration: Rob Legato on the Art of Creating Awe

Once in a while I see someone in the movie business that inspires me and it sets a fire deep inside: a fire to create awesome movies. Rob Legato is one of those people. His lecture on Ted .com at http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_legato_the_art_of_creating_awe.html  is very interesting and engaging. His knowledge of special effects is evident and very inspiring. I absolutely loved the way he integrates humor and wit to enhance what he is speaking about.

Mr. Legato was the special effects artist on the movies “Apollo 13”, “Titanic” and “Hugo”. In this presentation he goes behind the scenes to show the audience how he’s achieved the effect. It is very interesting and to me inspiring. His experience is seen by how he can create such spectacular effects to recreate actual events or to build a gap with footage already taken beforehand. It takes a very creative person to understand how to create such intricate and exciting effects, which do create awe in the movies. 

I have to admit that I am a bit jealous. I would love to be the person with years of experience and know how to create such wonder. What a special talent and treat to be able to awe audiences with scenes that look like rockets taking off into space or deep sea exploration. I guess it’s the dreamer in me that resonates with the building of fantasy and making it seem like reality. How truly awesome of a skill to be able to create such things! 

You can tell from his presentation that Rob is a smart man with a quick wit. He is very entertaining and personable. I believe it takes both qualities to be able to relate well with other people. If he was branding himself, he would definitely be able to brand his knowledge and skill but also his very outgoing personality. He is a fun person to listen to during the presentation and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to anyone interested in making movies. 

As I’ve done some soul searching, it seems that special effects and animation have a yearning place in my heart. I hope my entertainment journey takes me on a route in one or both of these fields. 

Reference:  http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_legato_the_art_of_creating_awe.html.

Professional Update: Colorado Film & Video Association

In my other blogs I’ve mentioned various associations which a film/video professional could join. Upon searching locally, I found another association that would benefit Coloradoan filmmakers.

As a media professional, joining various associations can increase your networks, bring you more customers, help with marketing and help you keep up with industry standards. Finding the right organization that meets your needs is important; as they can help you gain experience and knowledge in your field.

Being in Colorado, one of the more prominent associations is the Colorado Film and Video Association (CFVA).  “Formed in 1982, CFVA is the oldest and largest media production organization in Colorado” (CFVA, 2011).  

What I like most about this association, other than all of their awesome benefits, is the price of membership. It’s not restrictive and most filmmakers would be able to afford joining. I give them high praise for keeping their fees down, therefore giving start-ups a chance to benefit from their membership.

Speaking of membership benefits, the CFVA publishes your company in the Colorado Production Guide. This marketing and networking tool is a nice way to be seen and found by other professionals. This comes in handy when trying to put together a local crew for a film shoot. 

Other benefits include free admission to all CFVA events, education and training workshops, access to CFVA business services such as health and accounting services, and discounted admissions to co-sponsored CFVA events. 

CFVA also has committees which you can join to make a difference for the film industry in Colorado. One of their past programs which impacted the film industry was the support raised to help pass the House Bill 12-1286, which was written to increase Colorado’s film incentives from 10% to 20%. CFVA created a matching funds program for raising money to help lobby the bill. Success was reached when this bill passed in May of 2012. Colorado’s film industry has been working to bring more productions to Colorado and now they have a new avenue to help increase the productions here. CFVA helped bring this success to the film industry! 

Overall, CFVA is a great organization to be a part of in Colorado. I look forward to getting involved and learning from the experienced professionals that make up this association.

Membership. (2011). Retrieved August  10, 2012, from  http://cfva.com/membership.

Ted Talks: Iain McGilchrist: The Divided Brain

Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist speaks about the theory how the left brain vs. the right brain functions. He explains in his talk on Ted.com how the brain is not divided and uses both halves of the brain to function in every situation.  His illustrated talk is very quick, yet understandable and enlightening.

Dr. McGilchrist explains how the Western society has viewed the brain as two parts: one of reason and one of imagination.  I love how he says that “this organ, which is all about making connections, is profoundly divided”.  He declares that the understanding that the human brain is divided into one of imagination and one of reason is incorrect. 

He states that the right hemisphere of the brain gives a broad attention to vigilance of what is happening around the person, whereas the left hemisphere is giving its attention, narrowly to detail. He goes into an intricately explained speech on how the mind works together with the help of the frontal lobes to determine reasoning and imagination. It’s very interesting and I don’t have the ability to restate what he so eloquently explains, other than to say that he brings it all together nicely. 

This speech is illustrated by an animation with a hand drawing pictures as he speaks. It’s very entertaining and helps bring the ideas to the audience in a clear and succinct manner.  Dr. McGilchrist gains the audience’s attention through the artwork along with his very believable ideas. He gains their trust by explaining how the brain works and narrates the ideas with graphics. Both, the ideas and the graphics build trust and give him credibility on these new ideas about the brain and how it functions.

He explains how the left hemisphere of the brain views the world’s lifeless objects whereas the right hemisphere is more about living objects such as people, plants, etc. He tells how the two intermix to create reality for the person and how every person’s brain mixes these things differently. 

Dr. McGilchrist’s ideas about how the Western society was built mainly on left brain activities, is very intriguing. He goes on to say that the world as we know it now is very left brain signified through the “virtual being more important than the real”. How “the technological becomes important and there is a loss of uniqueness”.  Basically, how the left brain functions have overshadowed the more intuitive side of the right brain in our societies. He goes on to explain how we are living paradoxical lives, where, as we “seek happiness it builds resentment and unhappiness which leads to mental illness”. 

The speech is very complex yet intriguing. I like how he ends with a quote from Einstein, “The intuitive mind is a gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant”.  He says that “we’ve created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift”.   There in a nutshell is the crux of his whole speech: how we have focused on the strengths of the left hemisphere (reason, purpose, knowledge) and have forgotten, as a society, the very valuable strengths of the right hemisphere (love, emotion, intuitiveness).  I highly recommend viewing this lecture yourself at: The Brain Divided. 

McGilchrist, Iain. The Divided Brain. [Animated lecture]. Retrieved from Best of the Web at

     TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/iain_mcgilchrist_the_divided_brain.html.

DPVA Association

Professional organizations and trade associations are a great way to connect with other professionals in your field. For filmmakers, there are many to choose from. This week I found one that is new to me and looks very interesting: The Digital Video Professionals Association.

This association has been in business since 1998 and has worldwide membership. Membership includes benefits from being in contact with experienced professionals, to training, to discounts on equipment to project networking opportunities. 

Some of you may wonder why a “filmmaker” might be interested in Digital Video. Generally, it’s due to the fact that film is being used less and less. This organization is keeping current with everything Digital Video has to offer. Cost cutting in films could be achieved by filming with DV instead of going to through the arduous process and cost of using film. Therefore, I feel it’s important to cover both mediums of film and DV.

DVPA is affordable for whomever would like to join, whether as an individual or as a corporation or as an educator. Their plans are reasonably priced and they have included some very nice bonus items to sweeten the membership deal. 

One of the most attractive programs the DPVA offers is free training to its members. This is very impactful on the industry, as it gives each artist the opportunity to expand their skill set. This is valuable to the person learning as well to the industry, as it brings up the level of knowledge in the people creating the media. This allows for better graphics and techniques being used across the industry and brings the standard of quality up. 

Another service this group offers is an area of message boards. It is used for anyone who wants to list a job, list their abilities for hire, list productions looking for talent, etc.  Bringing people together and helping them move forward in their productions and work is extremely helpful. Having access to like minded individuals and companies is a wonderful benefit for artists looking to find talent or connect their talent to a production. 

I give this organization a thumbs up!  

Tax Incentives for Filmmakers

Independent Filmmakers should not overlook tax incentives, per state, when deciding the location for their film. Many states offer some form of tax incentive, allowing the filmmaker to reduce their budget by giving incentives for their productions. Some states even offer up to 20% tax incentives, giving filmmakers plenty of reason to choose their state for the film production.

Daryl Goldberg wrote in his article, on the Mastering Film website, that “most productions do not film anything without taking advantage of some kind of tax incentive program” – that is how important these tax breaks have become.

Many new independent filmmakers may not realize that tax incentives could enhance their budget by 20% to 50%.

Tax incentives can come in different forms. From rebates or refunds, tax credits or transferrable tax credits. The rebate is seemingly the most attractive, as it is an actual check from the state where the incentive is given. Tax credits reduce tax liability owed to the state and transferrable tax credits can be sold to a 3^rd party for a sum, which would be actual money, but at a lower rate than the tax credit itself.

Knowing the difference between the types of tax credits and the guidelines is very important. Having the information before you begin production is mandatory. Missing deadlines or applying too late may mean no tax incentive. This could be disastrous if counted on in the production budget. A good rule of thumb would be to investigate in the very beginning of production, before any hard and fast decisions are made. Preparation and planning are the keys to success for tax incentives.

Good News for Colorado

Last Friday, May 18^th, history was made when Governor Hickenlooper signed into law, HB 12-1286, a bill that allows more tax incentives for film producers in Colorado. For years the Colorado Film Commission has been seeking to increase the state’s tax incentives from 10% to a higher rate, but were not able to move pass the House vote.

CBSlocal.com states that film production in Colorado has been nearly non-existent due to the lack of tax incentives offered from the state in the past. Changing the tax incentives will increase revenue for the state and lure filmmakers to the state that has “everything else”. Donald Zuckerman left Hollywood to become Colorado’s Film Commissioner. He has pushed for this bill to be passed, in hopes of bringing in more jobs and revenue to Colorado. He is certain they will come now that the tax incentives are in place and the new loan program, which no other state offers, is presented. Colorado will guarantee a loan up to 20% to producers, for an approved film project.

Many people are very excited about these changes in Colorado and I am on of them! This opens new doors of opportunity for filmmakers and gives Colorado the hope of a better economy.  I look hopefully to the future of Colorado’s film initiative and see many new possibilities coming to life. Yay, Colorado!!

Finance and Filmmakers: Where to find Financing for Your Film

Financing films can be a challenge for any producer. With the economy in a recessive state, producers may find it harder to locate willing investors. Realizing this, two groups have worked to bring financiers and angels together with prospective producers for networking events. The events are geared to help producers find funding for their films.

The first group believes in “bridging the gap between financiers and filmmakers”. They put on an event to bring the two groups together. The Film Finance ForumWest was put on by Winston | Baker in March of 2012.  This was the fourth annual event for this financial forum. Located in Los Angeles, California, this gathering was sponsored by Winston/Baker and a variety of large capital groups such as the China Main Stream Media National Film Capital Hollywood Group.

Winston/Baker “specializes in producing educational and networking events
for the financial community, offering live and online programs which address alternative investment trends and finance strategies”.

Offering events around the world in cities such as Zurich, Cannes, Los Angeles, and Toronto, Winston/Baker hopes to bring together upper level financing and filmmakers. The events are hosted throughout the year and offer opportunities for networking amongst the world’s top financiers and “high-level entertainment”. Keynote speakers cover topics of how to raise financing in this global economy, how to generate revenue through various distribution methods and much more. This forum would benefit any filmmaker interested in learning how to raise funds and how to read the ever changing economy for opportunities.

The second group will hold its 5^th annual networking conference on May 7, 2012.

Networking Seminars FilmProduction & Finance Summit, held in Los Angeles, California, aspires to inform filmmakers on how to finance their films while helping them network with top financial investors. This summit offers seminars about film and finance for all interested parties, along with networking breaks to allow people to create contacts in the industry. Covering many topics of film finance, this seminar would be helpful to any new producer in the industry. It is geared to teach filmmakers how the system works and to help them create contacts to help them with their films.

Both of these events hold a lot of promise for producers and filmmakers. I would very much like to attend both of these, in order to create contacts in the industry and to learn more about film finance. I say hats off to the innovators in the industry who are proactive and work to keep everyone moving forward.