Sunday, February 28, 2010 – INDIE PANEL GUESTING

#ScriptChat TOPIC: how to write for indie filmmaking as opposed to spec script.  When to take the indie path.

We are thrilled to announce our first panel of guests at scriptchat!  We’ve comprised two different panels of talented indie filmmakers/producers to guest at both our EURO chat and our American chat.  Check them out and join the party! @jeannevb

EURO panel:

@davidpbaker (previously @indiemoviemaker) David Baker was an actor until he also decided to try and make his own films.  His first film was shot in Scotland, LA, and Las Vegas.  A silly comedy caper flick that he doesn’t like, so he doesn’t talk about it.  He recently wrote, directd, and produced his second feature, MISSION X .  He’s spent several years learning more about every area of the business.  Becoming a better writer, learning more about the business side of things, and in a way, waiting for the technology in production, post, and distribution to get better.  We are now in that time!  His five-year plan is to eventually self finance projects from profits and build his own personal brand.  His long-term goal is to simply make films, online serials, and other content as a career.  He also prefers the creation to consumer route.  The ultimate goal is to build his own studio on a plot of land in 5 to 7 years. http://www.davidpaulbaker.com/#

@JASteel J.A. Steel is one of the few female action film directors in Hollywood, and one of the first western women to study the art of Muay Thai kickboxing in Thailand. J.A. Steel rocked the film and music industry in 1999 with her first feature THE THIRD SOCIETY. Steel drew on her experience in working on at least two dozen other feature films to write, direct, produce, edit, and music supervise the 35mm film which was released by Warrior Entertainment in 2003. THE THIRD SOCIETY has won Steel numerous awards, including the 2004 Bare Bones Film Festival Indie Auteur and Best Soundtrack awards. Past projects include directing and hosting for the documentary television pilot DIVE THE DEEP BLUE and starring as the Alien Bounty Hunter in Ford Austin’s CEREBRAL PRINT. Steel’s award winning second feature, SALVATION, was released in June 2008 by York Entertainment. Currently, Steel recently completed her third feature, DENIZEN, for release in 2010. http://www.warriorentertainment.com/?se=hom

@filmutopia Clive Davies-Frayne is an award winning writer and independent movie producer who lives in Milan with his marvelous girlfriend and a cat (who sometimes acts as his agent). He started his writing career in radio, where he trained and ran professional writing teams for thirteen years. He moved into writing for movies by teaming up with a local independent film maker, with whom he made three shorts and two feature films... all shot on professional digital production equipment.

His first short "Cats and Dogs" was produced on a $6,000 budget and went onto to win a UK Regional Royal Television Society Award. His last feature film "No Place" was shot on professional HD, with a budget of $700,000.

In 2005 he dissolved his working relationship with that indie producer in order to set up Filmutopia Ltd, which is media development company, not a movie production company. He also gave up directing, in order to concetrate on writing and the business side of project development.
Clive is best know for his idyosyncratic views about writing, writing careers and the movie industry. He writes a weekly blog about his personal take of the movie indsutry, which is published every Sunday morning... and, which has a growing and loyal following.

http://filmutopia.typepad.com/film_utopia/

@eumagine  After studying at the Academy of Television and Film in Munich, Wolfgang Junghans worked as a cutter, sound recordist, location and production manager. In 1987 he founded the JUNGHANS MEDIA PRODUCTION, focusing on image films and television infotainment. One of the most important productions was the award wining TV magazine “HOW MUCH? The Business Show” hosted by Hubertus Meyer-Burckhardt. Wolfgang worked as screenwriter, director and producer of numerous imagefilms, documentaries, commercials, teasers, showreels and developed various formats.  http://www.eumagine.eu/

American panel:

@huerhodes Hue Rhodes is a writer/director.  His feature film SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS stars Steve Buscemi and is theaters now.  Hue studied engineering before going to film school.  Engineers look at finished products and ask themselves “how could I make that?”  Hue approaches filmmaking the same way.  It’s hard to know who did what by looking at a finished film.  But that shouldn’t stop us from trying.  So these are his guesses.  If you disagree with his take, or you have a different theory, please chime in.  http://www.huerhodes.com/

Here’s a fantastic interview of Hue by James Wallace for Gordon and the Whale: http://gordonandthewhale.com/interview-writerdirector-hue-rhodes-saint-john-of-las-vegas/#

@kingisafink Jessica King and Julie Keck have been making films as King is a Fink for 10 years.  Their ultra low budget shorts focus on flawed characters, awkward interactions, and honest emotions.  Their short films Snow Bunny and Libidoland are currently making the rounds on the film festival circuit.  In addition to making shorts, King and Keck also write feature-length screenplays.  They're currently writing a dramatic thriller called TILT for Phil Holbrook (@philontilt on Twitter) and adapting a naughty memoir by Kevin Keck (http://www.thekeck.com/).  Find out more about TILT at http://tiltthemovie.com; information about other King is a Fink projects can be found at http://kingisafink.com.

@PhilonTilt Phil Holbrook has always had a love of film and the filmmaking process. Six years

ago, at the age of 29, he decided to make a career of the art. He purchased equipment on

credit cards, taught himself how to use Final Cut and other software and then started his

own small production company, doing training and orientation videos among other

things. Phil also works for an outdoors company, doing all of their web video.

Phil was born and raised in Minnesota and loves living there. He has written and

directed several short films, all shot in Minnesota. He is currently working on the feature

film “Tilt”. www.CreativeJinx.com

@grking  Gary King is a contemporary DIY American filmmaker whose work is known for powerful performances with an emphasis on a strong, visual style.  He has written, directed and produced several critically acclaimed feature films as well as award-winning short films.

In 2009, he made his feature film debut with the ensemble drama NEW YORK LATELY which has been hailed by The Independent Critic as “a remarkable achievement” and Row Three as “a beautiful film” making its Top Ten Films of 2009 List.  It was also listed on Associated Content’s “Best Independent Movies” List — right behind SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

With Gary’s ability to skillfully apply his filmmaking craft across genres, Fearmakers hired him to direct the grisly horror film DISMAL.  The film has been picked up by Showtime, TimeWarner and Comcast On-Demand and will have a domestic DVD release soon.  He was also recently hired to helm the action/comedy zombie film DEATH OF THE DEAD for Strange Stuff Productions which will be released in 2010.

Gary is a member of the Workbook Project’s NEW BREED — an indie film movement that consists of emerging filmmakers who are creating their own paths with their exciting work.  The NEW BREED (founded by The Workbook Project pioneer filmmaker Lance Weiler) contains first person insights and accounts dealing with the filmmaking process.

He is currently in post-production on his latest feature film WHAT’S UP LOVELY which already has film websites buzzing about its visual elegance.  It will be released in 2010.

Gary is based in Astoria, New York.  http://www.grking.com/blog

@chipstreet Chip Street is a screenwriter from Santa Cruz, California. His first screenplay, Rocket Summer, has been twice optioned and is now available, with Julie Brown (Earth Girls Are Easy) attached. His second script, Grampa Was A Superhero (co-written with Sean Meehan), was recently optioned by Mitchell Galin (Pet Sematary, The Stand) and Epiphany Productions. His third script, Faeries (also with Meehan), was a finalist at 2009's Shriekfest Horror Festival and is being considered by six production companies.  Chip also runs the screenplay challenge website WriteClubChallenge.com, and is near launch on a new filmmakers community website.  In an effort to better understand the industry and the impact of script on production, he works as an art director, prop designer, director and sometime actor.  He and his partner are breaking the story on their next script, a “classic Eastwood western with supernatural overtones”.  http://chipstreet.com  http://chipstreet.wordpress.com  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2085717