Location scouts work with the director and production designer to translate their cinematic visions to reality by traveling the world to seek out exactly where the movies will be made. Six location scouts will discuss the creative and logistical aspects of their jobs, relate some exciting anecdotes, and answer audience questions. Moderator Scott Trimble (Tomorrowland) joins panelists Chris Baugh (Transcendence), Mandi Dillin (Iron Man 3), Ann Goobie (X-Men: The Last Stand), J. J. Hook (Transformers: Age of Extinction), and Michael John Meehan (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End).
Day 2 of this four-day course on microbudget moviemaking focuses on the specifics of production, from shooting techniques, to lighting on the cheap, to crew positions you need (and don't need), to costuming, props, and set decorating for as little money as possible. Panelists for the class include Valerie Perez (producer/star of the Paula Peril series), Vera Vanguard (producer of The Building of Good and Evil), Nick Murphy (writer/director of Pizza and Bullets), Jack Conway (producer of Machinima ETC ), and Sean Rourke (writer of Ballistica).
From creator Chris Moore (Project Greenlight, American Pie, Good Will Hunting) and producer Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Heroes, Margin Call), The Chair is a documentary competition series that follows two first- time feature directors, Shane Dawson (ShaneDawsonTV on YouTube) and Anna Martemucci (Break Up at a Wedding), each given the same screenplay and budget to make their own films. Zachary Quinto and both directors, as well as screenwriter Dan Schoffer and producer Josh Shader, join together for a panel moderated by Chris Moore, including exclusive clips from both films (Untitled Shane Dawson Movie and Hollidaysburg) and from the Starz TV show, premiering this fall.
Day 3 of our course on micro-budget moviemaking deals with how to direct actors, organize a crew, and keep them all happy without anybody making a dime. Panelists for the class include Valerie Perez (producer/star of the Paula Peril series), Vera Vanguard (producer of The Building of Good and Evil), Nick Murphy (writer/director of Pizza and Bullets), Jack Conway (actor, Nazis at the Center of the Earth), Sean Rourke (writer of Ballistica), and actors Josh Perilo, Megan Rees, and Bradley Upton.
Do you have an idea for a film or a concept for a video? Is money the first thing standing in your way? This panel of producers and financing experts will discuss the players in film financing and the best strategies to help your movie get made. Griff Furst (development executive and director of Ghost Shark, Arachnoquake, and other SyFy Originals), Steven Kaplan (president of Rainstorm Entertainment with features from $3 to $50 million in development), Will Wallace (award-winning producer/director with distribution deals with Lionsgate and Warner Brothers), Christi Matthews (sales & marketing strategist, supplying promotional materials used in crowdfunding campaigns), and Brad Littlefield (producer and organizer of numerous high financing seminars for Angel Investors), with a special guest appearance by Thunder Levin (writer of Sharknado and Sharknado 2). Panel and Q&A moderated by Eric Forsberg (writer/director of the SyFy original movie Mega Piranha).
The final day of our comprehensive course on micro-budget moviemaking will revolve around what to do after your movie is shot. Panelists will go over the basics of postproduction on your home computer, as well as what software to use for editing, graphic design, sound design, visualFX, and finally, how to optimize your movie for uploading to the internet. Panelists for the class include Valerie Perez (producer/star of the Paula Peril series), Nick Murphy (writer/director of Pizza and Bullets), Jack Conway (producer of Machinima ETC), and Sean Rourke (writer of Ballistica).
