Robert Rodriguez: Directing the Directors

The icon of independent filmmaking doesn't slow down efforts for popularizing the craft. Maverick director Robert Rodriguez always shared his knowledge with others. And he is a keen student too. The newest example of this approach is his "Director's Chair" on El Rey Network - interviews with the most rebellious filmmakers on the planet.

Beside producing a fistful of 10-Minute-Film-School videos Rodriguez penned two books in the early nineties. These were the famed "Rebel without a Crew" - his journal from the time of filming "El Mariachi", which catapulted him to Hollywood. The second book titled "Roadracers: The Making of a Degenerate Hot Rod Flick" dealt with his less known first Hollywood picture starring Salma Hayek and David Arquette.

 

Always going forward – interview with Kathleen McInnis

Kathleen McInnis is a Film Festival Strategist and Publicity Consultant, specializing in World Cinema, Documentary and Short Films. She offers flexible fee structures, personalized service and expert guidance to films using the festival circuit as their launch. McInnis is currently the Film Curator and Director of Industry Programming at Palm Springs ShortFest. In 2014 she attended Off Camera Festival in Cracow where she gave a lecture on festival strategies.

I've heard what you said about the festival strategies in your workshop, but what kind of strategy would you recommend for an emerging filmmaker actually? For instance: I have done the film, it’s in the can, or on the disc, and now I’m looking for the right festivals to present the work.

This is a very good question and it’s complex too. The thing I suggest first for a filmmaker: Process it in three months' chance. When you finished the film, you made a list of what you want from your festival experience for yourself. And how you think your film will help you to achieve it. You look at the calendar. You seek for what are the best festivals, the greatest chance to give you what you want.

So – as for a filmmaker - my list of priorities is: I really want coverage in trade publications on my film. I really need a trade review. I need to sell my film. I look at the calendar and what deadlines I have to fulfill. Where the trade industry attends and they review from that screening. Where I have the chance to be in competition. Where is the festival? I have the chance to have it. This is how I would narrow the number of 5 thousand festivals.

Lawrence Grobel - The Art of the Interview

Manipulating media... by kids

Kids that manipulate digital media are less likely to be manipulated by it!

Interview with Clay Nichols and Troy Lanier,
authors of "Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts".

Why did you decide to write this book? Was it another, a wider way to present your lectures from high school?

CN: As teachers, we were frustrated that there was no book that would be accessible and useful to our students, so we felt there was a niche to fill. In addition, we saw the excitement that our students felt when involved in filmmaking and we wanted to encourage more kids to experience that thrill.

What's your experience with filmmaking, what were your beginnings in this industry? And how do you feel about teaching others?

TL: When I was nine years old and "Star Wars" came out, a bunch of friends and I would role play on the playground the different scenes in the movie. My big start happened when I made a documentary about pedestrian corridors in the United States. It was picked up by some of the Public Television stations in the US. These days I love to teach others.

CN: Before I began teaching film, I had taken a graduate degree in dramatic writing, and my partner Troy Lanier had produced a documentary film, but digital filmmaking, especially with teens, felt like something entirely new when we first started. It felt like a very new experiment was was therefore very exciting. After the book came out, and we began speaking to groups about making films with teens, we were often questioned about our own filmmaking projects. This actually inspired us to start working more on our own projects. Writing the book actually inspired us to make more films ourselves.

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