Top Three Documentary Film Festivals

January 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you love documentaries, you will love attending one of the many Documentary Film Festivals. There are quite a large number of documentary festivals in the United States and around the world. The festivals provide a number of public screenings, discussion groups, parties and other forms of entertainment. These wonderful festivals are affordable and none is exclusive. Documentary film festivals are open to the public and tickets and entrance fees are reasonably priced. If you have never attended a Documentary Film Festival, you will want to start with the top three festivals in the United States.

The first is Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana. Yes, Montana has a film festival. It may seem hard to believe, but in 2010, this festival drew a crowd of over 10,000 people. Montana is a beautiful state and you will enjoy this amazing festival. The festival is held in February.

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is in its nineteenth year. The festival is held in October. This year it promises to be a wonderful and exciting event. The festival tickets are affordable and it draws a crowd of over 10,000. This festival is open to anyone and hosts a number of entertainment activities. It is hosted in the Malco Theatre complex in beautiful Hot Springs, Arkansas.

You will not want to miss the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. The festival is held in April and attracts over 10,000 people to downtown Durham. You can purchase a choice of three pass packages and all of the passes are open to the general public. You will enjoy wonderful documentaries and discussions. The screenings are throughout each day from early morning until midnight.

There are numerous Documentary Film Festivals to enjoy. If you love documentaries, you will love attending the many wonderful film festivals around the country and around the world.

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The Beauty of the Sound of Music

January 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Sound of Music
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When thinking of famous musicals, there is nothing like the Sound of Music. Between the story and music, it’s a musical that has withstood the test of time. The original Broadway production, with music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, opened in November 1959 and was based on the Maria von Trapp’s memoir entitled The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

Most fans of the musical nowadays are familiar with the film version of the play starring Julie Andrews as Maria, which was released in 1965. There are so many iconic scenes that are favorites of fans. For example, the scene with the song “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” where Liesl and Rolf are driven to a gazebo by rain where they dance and finally kiss will always be remembered by girls of all ages. So romantic!

After the original production finished its run, there was a lull before the play appeared again. Then in 1981, the musical was revived in London starring Petula Clark and Michael Jayston. The play was again revived in 1998, receiving a Tony Award for the Best Revival of a Musical, and in 2006. The 2006 production was produced by famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (think of Catsand Phantom of the Opera).

Following the productions in London and on Broadway, Sound of Music tours traveled the countries performing in major cities. Other tours across the world have also been put together including Canada in 2008; Brazil, France, Austria, UK, and Mexico in 2009; and most recently in Argentina in 2011.

Although the story has captured audiences from around the world, the story in large part is inaccurate. Although Georg Ludwig von Trapp was indeed anti-Nazi, Maria and Georg had been married 10 years prior to Anschluss and had had children of their own. When they left, the family went to the local train station where they traveled to Italy, London and then the United States.

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Reality Television Shows

December 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Dr. Drew (David Pinsky) holding a producer cre...
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If you are like most people, you love watching reality television. There’s just something about peering into other people’s lives and problems that is fun to watch. It especially gets entertaining when people argue with each other.

One such reality show that includes a lot of drama is Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. That show is aired on MTV and is based on celebrities trying to overcome their drug and alcohol addictions. They are placed in a home that is similar to those offered through LaPalomaTreatment.com, where they are then monitored and helped accordingly based on the type of addiction they have.

Many people like watching this show for a few different reasons. They like seeing their favorite celebrities on screen. Another reason is that many of the celebrities have gone downhill due to their drug addiction and the celebrities tend to cause drama during the show.

Sometimes the drama they cause is due to the withdrawal they are going through, and sometimes it is because they are a spoiled celebrity that isn’t used to being told they can’t do something.

If you watch Celebrity Rehab, you will notice one thing though; Dr. Drew does whatever he can to help those celebrities heal and go on with their lives. Sometimes they go back to their bad lifestyle, but each one of them learns a valuable lesson when they are there. They learn that they are not alone and that there is always someone there to help them, even if they think they have nothing.

If you like watching reality shows, you will like watching Celebrity Rehab. While substance abuse isn’t a laughing matter, it’s quite amusing watching these celebrities fall from the stars into reality. It is also nice to see the ones that make it and fully recover from their addiction.

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Film Festival Submissions for Beginners

December 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Red carpet of the Palais des Festivals et des ...
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The film festivals that take place worldwide make up a large part of the cinema marketplace, which increases each year. The market for independent film has become a genuine competitor to the Hollywood film industry. Since breaking into Hollywood is more difficult, most new filmmakers choose to show their films at independent film festivals. Film festivals gather hundreds of thousands of industry professionals, which gives the newcomer a chance to network and show off his or her talents.

For the filmmaker submitting his or her work to a film festival for the first time, it can be overwhelming. Understanding how and what a film festival takes are important. If time is wasted on submitting a film to a festival that does not accept the genre or style, then less time can be given to festivals that will accept the work.

Competitive film festivals do not accept most applications, but do offer a section for first-time submissions. The reason behind the tough submission guidelines is to keep the focus on professionalism. Since most submissions come from seasoned filmmakers, it can be difficult for a new filmmaker. Even if the festival rejects the first submissions, working toward getting accepted is the main goal.

Smaller film festivals targeting new filmmakers are a perfect place to start. By creating awareness of your work, you can build a network of budding filmmakers. Smaller film festivals have a competitive segment, but mostly focus on showcasing new films. Submissions to these festivals are easier to receive acceptance letters. If a film wins in the competitive segment at the smaller film festivals, the eyes and ears of industry professionals are aware of its success. By creating a brand name to your films, you can create a name that will be remembered when it is time to make a submission into a larger, competitive film festival.

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Making Movies For Less

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
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If you watch enough television and read the press on the yearly film festivals you will see one trend is true of young filmmakers. Everyone seems to be doing it for less money than ever before. If you are the aspiring filmmaker watching and reading about your favorite movies doing big things on little bucks then you are probably wondering what it is you can be doing to get your film to the next big festival and how you can do it for cheap. Well now it’s time you found out just how good your film can be and just how cheaply you can do it.

There is no substitute in your film for good acting. While you won’t be able to bag an Oscar winner you should be able to get some really good local talent. The first instinct is going to be to bring in your friends to play the parts. You should think a little bit before doing that. Keep your friends involved where they belong. In front of the screen is fine if they are truly that talented but get better actors for your biggest parts. Most actors will do it for a copy of the film and credit in the budget.

Lights are another source of big money that doesn’t have to be. The easiest(but most complicated scheduling wise) is to film in the daytime. Natural light shows up the best on film but isn’t right for every shot. For the other indoor shots use a set of work lights and buy some gels. You can do this all for under 150 dollars and should last you for a four or five day shoot.

Make sure that with a solid script and solid acting you don’t miss anything in the footage. If you shoot on digital then you can shoot extra.

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Steps to Making A Movie For Less

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Making a move for less is easy. Making a good movie for less is rather complicated and unless you are ready to buckle down and be smart your movie will look like a slightly upgraded version of a home movie. Film festivals are proving that smart, young movie makers with the right kind of know how can play with the big boys, or at least get their foot in the door. You need to be able to say you know how to do the same. So here are just a few of the ways to make a movie for less, and make it a good one.

The first thing you need to do is get the right sound equipment. Nothing will make your movie appear like a cheap version of the real attempt more than bad sound. Scout the local colleges or talk to your friends who might be going to an art of film school. There are students there who are always looking to get involved and network. They are looking for the opportunity to get themselves a reel they can use after they get out of school. If you go ahead and tap into that you can get someone with the know how that you need to get the sound right from the beginning.

There is an added bonus to getting the college kids to be a part of your vision. Many times these kids have access to higher end equipment that they can rent, or they know friends that they can borrow from. If you look into these avenues you might get a free upgrade on your already existing sound equipment. Don’t be afraid to ask these kids about their contacts you might be surprised at what they come up with. There is no shortage of ways to make your great movie for less.

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Why Big Stars Go Straight To DVD

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Have you ever been in a video store or online looking for the next movie you want to watch and you come across a movie that catches your eye? Was it because you saw the name of a big star on it and you couldn’t figure out why you had never heard of the movie before? You look at the box and realize that this movie was made during the height of their popularity. So then you wonder what went wrong?

The truth is it takes a lot more than star power to get the movie out into the theatres. The first thing that a movie company will do once the movie is done shooting and a cut of the movie has been made is they will take it to focus groups. These groups will watch the movie and then rate the movie on a questionnaire. Then they will pull a smaller group of people into a room and ask them specifically what they liked and didn’t like. If the movie got an overwhelmingly negative response they will either try another group or they may ask to make changes. If those changes aren’t well received then there will be a chance that they go straight to DVD.

Another reason a movie doesn’t come out to the theaters if a star falls off the map. Sometimes there is a big name star who’s stock just plummets during production on the film. There is every intention to release it but then it looks more and more like no one wants to see it. It’s a serious problem for those in the business of movie making. The best thing you can do is go cheaper by cutting the press for it and sending it to the stores first and hoping that it makes its money back. There are many ways to have a movie go straight to home release.

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The History of Sundance

October 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The largest independent film festival in the United States is hosted in Utah. Sundance is held in January in a number of places in Utah such as Salt Lake City, Park City, and Ogden. The film festival showcases work from independent filmmakers from around the world and offers competitive segments for dramatic films, documentary films, feature-length and short films. Sundance Film Festival also offers non-competitive segments for newer filmmakers to showcase their work to the festival attendees.

The Sundance Film Festival began in 1978 in Salt Lake City under the name Utah or U.S. Film Festival. The original name was chosen in an effort to entice more filmmakers to the State of Utah. The festival was established by Sterling Van Wagenen who was the head of Robert Redford’s company Wildwood, and others serving on Utah’s Film Commission. Robert Redford was made a chairperson and the festival’s purpose was to showcase American films and increase awareness of filmmaking in Utah. The judges of the first festival included Gary Allison, Linwood Gale Dunn, Verna Fields, Katherine Ross, and many more big names of the time.

Sterling Van Wagenen left one year later to oversee the first year of what would soon become the Sundance Institute. In 1979, more than 60 films were screened at the Sundance Film Festival with panel judges featured well-known filmmakers from Hollywood. It wouldn’t be until 1980 that the film festival would make a profit and several factors attributed to its success. The involvement of Robert Redford as a chairman gave the festival a lot of attention since he was a Utah resident. Another positive attribution was that there was a high desire for American-made films that other festivals in the country were not succeeding. In 1984, after several years of success, the festival’s name was changed to Sundance, which is a name that everyone knows in and out of film.

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Great Women Film Maker Hitting Film Festivals

October 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Anne Hathaway at the Palm Springs Internationa...

Great Female Film Makers hit Film Festivals

Film festivals are receiving more and more great films from female film makers from around the world. Its adding a lot of spice to the film festival scene. Take for example, the amazing film, Bless is the Match, directed by Roberta Grossman. This film received accolades at several 2009 film festivals. Some of the film festival awards, it received, included Best of Fest List at Palm Springs International Film Festival and Audience Awards at Pittsburgh Jewish Israeli Film Festival and New Jersey Jewish Film Festival.

This film is the amazing and sorrowful story of Hannah Senesh. She was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1921, emigrated to British-controlled Palestine at the age 17, and was very involved in the Zionist movement. She became a volunteer of the British Army and parachuted into rescue European Jews. This volunteer mission was the only one of its kind ever undertaken to try and rescue Jews during World War II. She was captured, tortured, and killed. During her torture, Hannah Senesh never revealed important radio codes given to her by British intelligence.

Bless is the Match Makes Film Festivals More then just Recreation

Films like, Bless is the Match, make attending film festivals more then just a recreation. This is where movies educate and uplift. They go beyond the recreation aspect that so many films barely hit.

This powerful film has gone on to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Composition by Todd Boekelheide in July 2010. Another amazing point is that this film is not only directed by a women, but Lisa Thompson (Producer), Marta Kauffman (Executive Producer), Joan Allen (Narrator), Dyanna Taylor (Cinematographer),and Sophie Sartain (Writer/Co-Producer) were also all females who worked on the film and played very important roles in its creation. Going to prove, that women film makers are making their very permanent mark on the movie industry and doing it with very high quality thought provoking work.

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Women’s Film Festival with International Flair

October 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Eureka! I’ve found a film festival that celebrates women film makers and has some international appeal. The festival is preparing for its 6th year and is called the Annual Women’s International Film and Arts Festival. It’s scheduled to start on March 30, 2011 and runs through April 3, 2011. This festival will be held in Miami, Florida.

Film Festival Appeal with Recreation for Women

This festival offers 5 days of great film viewing, along with recreation that women love. This recreation includes movies and fashion. This film festival pays homage to the great women made films but also pays homage to the fashion side of things. Most women love fashion and movies play an important role in fashion’s portrayal to the masses. So, this film festival mixes both film and fashion together. The festival includes a Pool Pajama Film Party and a family day. On family day, families attending the festival can watch films and enjoy family activities together. Attendees can also attend workshops and glitzier events that include fancy clothes and red carpet. This festival offers those interested in film a wonderful opportunity to see international films made by women and actually meet and discuss the films with their creators.

The Annual Women’s International Film Festival was started in 2005 as a one day event. Since that time, the festival has continued to grow in popularity. Many consider it now the best film festival in the Miami area and it continues to gain notoriety and more star power every year.

Movies and a Great Vacation

This festival offers great women made films and a great vacation. Attendees can enjoy Miami’s wonderful 70 degree spring weather and amazing hotels. There are even discounts available if you stay at the hotels helping to sponsor the event, The Opera Suites, Marina, or Betsy Hotel. The 2011 line hosts more than 60 films from around the world including India and Asia.

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