Making Films

Fever Dreams, Middle-Eastern Video Diaries, the Quest for Inspiration, and Memories on Tap

erin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

Utah, PARK CITY – For filmmakers, screenwriters, video artists and actors looking for inspiration or funding, or both, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival was the destination of choice. I started making the trek to Park City circa 2001, and I’ve been going, on and off, ever since, always on the lookout for undiscovered diamonds in the rough.

Alchemy Springs from the Striking Artistry of Sundance Shorts

erin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

Utah, PARK CITY – When it comes to challenging and adventurous short films, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s mojo was in top form as the nation’s most prominent tastemaker for the state of indie cinema, both in America and abroad.

Approaches to End of the World Docs

erin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:28:54 -0600

Two social justice docs at IDFA targeted and systematically attacked the same universal villain: progress. Four Horsemen and Surviving Progress are both "big picture" documentaries that tackle some of today's most globally pressing issues.

Reasons for the Cutting Room Floor

erin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to speak with one of Hollywood’s premiere film editors. If you ever have the means, I would highly recommend it. For those in the Boston area, the means may be closer than you think.

IDFA 2011 - In Touch with the "Planet of Snail"

erin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

For two years South Korean director Seung-Jun Yi and his assistant director took a two-hour subway ride to the home of the deaf and blind poet Young-Chan and his wife Soon-Ho. The couple communicates through a technique of gentle finger tapping called finger-braille, developed by the Japanese deaf and blind professor Satoshi Fukushima.

Of-the-Moment Tips on Funding Indies, Social Media, Genre Films, TV Pitches and More

erin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0600

The hot topic at this fall’s BNA Atlas International Film & TV Finance Summit, the 11th Annual in New York, was how to master the business side of film in order to even attempt the creative side. Discussions among those present, myself included, ranged from marketing to financing and distribution.

Postcard from Northern Ontario

erin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:00:43 -0500

Filmmaker Benjamin Paquette stood stoically by the theater lobby with his crew, his friends and collages. He quietly greeted movie goers as they filed in to the premiere of his fourth feature film, (Non) Fiction, at this year’s Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival in Sudbury, Ontario.

Afghan Life According to Afghan Filmmakers

erin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500

In the days approaching the 10th anniversary of September 11th, whose stories have you heard? Have they represented the full spectrum of experiences on that date and what has unfolded since? What was the language of their telling?

Overcoming Overemotion One Chocolate at a Time

cristina — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500

No doubt that Romantics Anonymous is a very personal film for director Jean-Pierre Améris. He knows all too well the affliction that his film’s protagonists confront: social anxiety. The unlikely romantic comedy pairs two extraordinarily shy and, yes, emotional people.

Just Like Us: The Truth About Light

erin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Late one night in early June, I was devouring a novel by candlelight after forgetting, for the third time in a week, to buy bulbs. The room was dim and though it was hell on my eyes, the poet in me was charmed by the whole feel of it. I took a short break to make the book last and contemplate a shadow in a far corner, when the room brightened with the flash of a text message on my cell phone.