Contracts are important!

We as film student who are going to film school to become directors get very excited easily when it comes to making our movie and we should be. It's our passion. It's the reason why we are attending film school in the first place.  We write the script, we have actors come in for auditions, we get our fellow classmates to become our crew, we scout for locations and get the equipment we need to shoot the film. But there one thing that sometimes get's lost in the excitement of making the movie and that's living up to our obilgations as directors. When we are directing our films no matter what size the project is we are held to certain standard and must meet that standard. Many student directors at the last minute decide to drop out the project leaving everyone in limbo, not returning actors calls or not informing the crew on what they are filming that day on set. You never want to have a repuation where your cast and crew drop out of your project due to your behaivor on set. And you never want to drag into court because of it.

Allegedly, Director Lynne Ramsay, is being taken to court
for breaking her contract for the film "Jane Gota Gun". One of the reasons she is being taken to court is not having proper contracts on set. She was paid $750,000 to rewrite the screenplay and direct, but on the day shooting , she was nowhere to be found. Number of big name actors have drop out the project since then, allegedly due to her behavior on set. Ramsay, is also being taken to court for proper safety control for handling weapons on set, when pointing the prop  gun at the camera,  the camera crew before first taking proper safety procedures and coming to work drunk, allegedly.

So, film student directors stay professional at all times on your set, have the right contracts and paper on your set right,  treat
your actors with care and  crew with respect! P.S.  - ALSO COME TO  YOUR SET SOBER:)

failed to adhere to proper safety protocol for handling weapons on set, when she pointed a prop gun directly at a camera and, in turn, at the camera crew before first taking proper precautions.” - See more at: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/jane-got-a-gun-lawsuit.php#sthash.wnes0S8Z.dpuf

failed to adhere to proper safety protocol for handling weapons on set, when she pointed a prop gun directly at a camera and, in turn, at the camera crew before first taking proper precautions.” - See more at: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/jane-got-a-gun-lawsuit.php#sthash.wnes0S8Z.dpuf

Steven Soderbergh: Financial State of Cinema

In congress with our kickstart series, I encourage you to watch this speech by director Steven Soderbergh. He discusses the politics of producers, defines cinema vs films, and films made by business rather than artists. If you are interested in similar opinions, please review the links below in our ongoing series of film business and out-of-box approaches to filmmaking -
http://ainycvpstudents.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-state-and-kevin-smith-warrior-poet.html
http://ainycvpstudents.blogspot.com/2013/04/crowd-funding.html
http://ainycvpstudents.blogspot.com/2013/05/future-of-art-finance-amanda-palmer.html
http://ainycvpstudents.blogspot.com/2013/05/we-need-adult-films-no-not-porn.html


State of Cinema: Steven Soderbergh from San Francisco Film Society on Vimeo.

SOTW Article on Film Festivals

There is a world of difference between experiencing a film in a theater and experiencing a film online. Editor Andrew S. Allen, for Short of the Week, examines the audience experience to explain why your film may sell out in festivals yet gets negative reviews online. I would recommend to check this out for what to do and what not to do when assembling your thesis!

SOTW Article - Know Your Medium

Crowd Funding

       I'm sure anyone reading this blog is a filmmaker and I'm sure I am not the only one with a wide array of story ideas piling up within my thoughts. The problem for us is not that we lack ideas, but that we lack the funding. I don't know too many people I can call when I need to rent a steadicam or 4k Cinema Camera for a weekend. There is an exciting alternative solution to finding a producer (who can use their money as leverage to alter the story you intend to make.) Crowd Funding is becoming the best way for amateur filmmakers to produce their films.

Crowd Funding is the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money in support of a singular cause. Kickstarter is crowd funding for

more specific projects: films, games, art, and much more. If you have a good idea and can pitch it to the masses, you have a good opportunity to make some money with Kickstarter.

Kickstarter has shown success recently through the Academy Awards. Inocente won the 2013 Oscar for Best Documentary Short and it is the first Kickstarter backed film to win an award. Recently, the Veronica Mars TV Show raised its goal, 2 million dollars, in just 11 hours, in order to produce a film for the cancelled show.

Zack Braff has enter the Kickstarter world and is trying to fund his next film, Wish I Was Here. He has resorted to crowd funding in order to keep creative control of his film. He hopes to raise 2 million dollars in 30 days. Check it out: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1869987317/wish-i-was-here-1?ref=search

Event at CUNY This Weekend

Professor Dorothy Rompalske will be producing and moderating a panel on the status of women in the entertainment industry on Saturday at 11 AM, at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, 230 W. 41st Street, Newsroom/R. 308, 3rd floor, NYC 

To reserve a free seat (registration encouraged, especially for Saturday.)

http://globalmediaethics1.eventbrite.com/
http://globalmediaethics2.eventbrite.com/

Career Building Workshop on Monday!

Monday August 6th 12:15 in the Gallery! Please attend and get a head start on your career!

Professional Student Guide

Hello Everybody,

It has been some time since I've last posted anything on the blog (mostly because I'm really not much of a blogger) but I think after spending time as a student of Ai and meeting different students while working at the CAGE I've thought of some topics that may be helpful to addressed. Therefore, with the help of some faculty members I will be posting short Essay's on how to be a "Professional Student" and what you can do to both get good grades and maintain a good reputation on campus. These post are open for debate and are meant to give a type of guidance to students who need a way to put college life into perspective. Maybe there are those of you out there who agree or disagree and we welcome positive criticism so long as the main goal is to help students adjust to college life. Thank you.  - Freddie@TheCage

PSG 101

Entitlement – Part 1

As a new student to any school you should not feel entitled to anything. Entitlement is a tricky issue when dealing with various assets of the college experience. Reputation is everything in the filmmaking industry. Retaining the reputation of being “entitled” labels someone as being difficult to work with and unreliable. In dealing with the cage and staff, students should be aware that they are investing in the expertise of their instructors. That expertise must be respected at all times. Yes, there are many frustrations and limitations working within an academic environment. However, that should not overcome everyone’s responsibility in respecting each other’s role in academia. A false sense of entitlement puts students in danger of setting off on the wrong path while they are in school. Schools and institutions can only supply what they can afford, just like you can only afford what gets you by. For example, most students have jobs that they get paid for and they use this money to pay for things like:

Utilities – Electricity, Gas, Water etc.

Rent – which can be $500 and up

Credit cards

Car Payments or (transportation to and from work)

Food

I am sure many students can relate to the items above and you may even have more expenses to add to that list. Well a School or Institution is a business and believe it or not businesses also have to pay for things like:

Utilities – Electricity, Gas, Water etc.

Rent – which can be $10 Grand and up

Employees – (could be you)

Equipment – Computers, office supplies, other work related items

Transportation for some employees

Food

Walking into any school assuming that the institution can provide every student with thousands of dollars of equipment is a one-way trip to disappointment. Every institution’s priority is a student’s success in their field. Even professionals have to problem solve their way through budgets and limits. Students should embrace the assets and instruction they receive humbly. It may save their career someday:)

TED: Andrew Stanton

TED stands for Technology Education and Design. It's an intellectual symposium that introduces forward thinking people to the rest of the world. Over the next week, I will be posting talks from filmmakers on the site. The first one comes from director Andrew Stanton (WallE, Finding Nemo, John Carter). He discusses storytelling and it's role in our lives. Enjoy!

Using Effective Team Communication

Communication is one of the most critical elements to the success of any team project. Whether you have three members or thirteen, information needs to be gathered and disseminated to members accurately and timely. In our globalized, technology-focused society, organizations are adapting to the change in times and redefining how communication takes place. International organizations must find ways to connect with each other from miles away. If the headquarters is in Texas and smaller chains exist in France, how else could project coordinators, managers, developers and designers communicate across countries without technology?
Smaller, local teams can benefit from applying this principle for their own projects. Technology can create ease with communication and sharing information. Here are a few free options you can use:

1.      Skype: Skype is a simultaneous chat messenger, video software and Internet phone. You can connect online and host digital face-to-face meetings or block out the visual and hold a conversation on the computer. Site: www.skype.com

2.       Free Conference Calling: Teams can benefit from this service by taking advantage of its phone options. Creating an account is free and the host receives a number. Give the number and guest code to visitors and you can have hundreds of people call in to the meeting. This system is great for teams large and small in scale. Site: www.freeconferencecalling.com

3.       Slideshare: Slide Share is becoming the Facebook of PowerPoint presentations. Team members can create PowerPoints, upload them on to the site and allow for other members to view them and provide feedback. Site: www.slideshare.net

4.      Facebook: Already a well-known technology, teams can use the social site to create an open or closed group that focuses on the project. Facebook’s prime benefit for teams is its immediacy; you can set up your account to buzz your phone or remain synced. When your team posts, you can know almost immediately. Site: www.facebook.com

Trent Rhodes
Student Employment Advisor
trhodes@aii.edu

Grappling with Groupthink

Working in teams can be a challenging and fulfilling experience. Ultimately you want to see your project successfully complete. At times this can pose a conflict: are you willing to compromise on your ideas, give in to others’ or stand up for your contributions? Whether in a team of two or twenty-two people, there exists the potential for groupthink to manifest. Groupthink is the “tendency of the members of a group to yield to the desire for consensus or unanimity at the cost of considering alternative courses of action” (Business Dictionary, 2012). When groupthink is present, individual members do not share their best ideas; they tend to supplicate their creativity to a dominant person or idea in the group. Members shut off their reasoning, critical thinking and imagination. The team prefers to just get the project done, at any cost, rather than produce high quality. One looks to the other for confirmation, often a leadership figure in the group. Teams benefit from leadership but not at the cost of reducing members to “yes people.”

To avoid groupthink:

1.    Learn how to facilitate rather than dictate: Some teams may have several “leaders” depending upon the skills involved in the project. One may be a superior planner while another is best at creating a particular design. Tap into the talents of all project members. Be open to listening to others’ feedback and search for ways different member contributions can support the goal.

2.    Invite the silent: You may have different temperaments in the group. Some are more assertive and outspoken while others prefer to think and observe. The introverts may have rich information to share with the group from their ability to see the whole picture. Invite them to contribute when you sense they have something to share.

3.    Develop the brainstorming skill: The purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as you can without editing, reducing or judging them. Hold frequent brainstorming sessions with your project team. This can become practice for accepting initial ideas and contributions without criticism or turning someone’s thoughts away. The team will be more likely to share in an open, creative environment.

Trent Rhodes

Student Employment Advisor

11 Beach Street, First Floor

New York, NY 10013

212-625-6036

trhodes@aii.edu

Film Critic: Jim Emerson

For those of you interested in film criticism and theory, I have a resource for you! Jim Emerson is a film blogger for the Chicago Sun Times (made famous by Rodger Ebert). He has a series on Vimeo titled - In the Cut. Jim takes sequences in feature films and breaks them down to explain why they are or are not successful. Below is the episode he has done for the Dark Knight. I have watched a few of these installments and enjoy his breakdowns. This is a good resource for you to watch while you are writing your screenplays and working on your storyboards. His advice could save your project.  - Eve.
Jim Emerson's blog http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/  and vimeo page http://vimeo.com/user2222857/videos

In the Cut, Part I: Shots in the Dark (Knight) from Jim Emerson on Vimeo.
Piecing together the action sequence:

A (very) detailed look at the first part of a famous TDK car/truck chase sequence, analyzing how it is put together and whether the filmmaking grammar makes sense.

Vimeo Blogs: Good Advice

Like many of you, I have a Vimeo account. This site has a wealth of great information that caters to the professional video community. One of the perks to having a Vimeo account is having access to their staff blog. A segment on their blog is the Vimeo Video School. Below are two recent posts that I have found helpful in creating projects: How to Assemble a Crew Funding Your Project on Kickstarter
This isn't like you haven't heard this stuff before, it's just nice to be reminded once in a while, maybe get inspired.

Studio or Scam? - the Amazon Debate

As an educator and working filmmaker, I tend to look at film contests with a double edge sword; both as a potential opportunity for advancement or scandal. Too often, these contests have clauses that state if the sponsor comes out with a similar idea to your submission then you have to sign away your right to sue. Artist's source of income stem from the creation of ideas and executing those ideas for a specific purpose. The consequence of some contests are cutting the artist out of their rights to intellectual property. In essence, stealing ideas.
There are two sides to this debate. Supporters of such contests believe that this approach benefits artists by giving them goals and access to publicity, funds, and support that would otherwise be difficult at best to maintain on their own.
Any artist can agree that maintaining a career as a artist is an exercise in persistence and humility. Yes, we need all the help we can get to get a functioning career kickstarted. However, the question I post to you: Are your ideas are worth giving away in order to get access to an opportunity? This is not an easy question.
This line of thought was sparked by a link posted on the "Studio of the Future" post from two weeks ago. This link is an article posted by the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. The director, Jessie Harris, spelled out his thoughts of caution. His opinion is this:

Basically the goal of Amazon studios is to take original ideas from inexperienced filmmakers and pay them very little or nothing for their work, all while creating an interesting social experiment for their users and a fake PR stunt that Amazon is revolutionizing Hollywood and supporting the next generation of filmmakers.

He goes into the details of the Amazon contract to support this opinion. Click HERE to read the full article.
Here are a few links that are posted by artists against this method of soliciting materials:
Motionographer Response to Sesame Street Contest
VFX Soldier Post on Unpaid Internships
Personally, I believe an opinion stems from the purpose of the contest. There are many non-profit, union based organizations (WGA, DGA, WFNYC) that support filmmakers by supplying financial support for creating and distributing films. These organizations do not profit from ideas. Their goal is to judge work based on their reputations as pillars of their artistic communities.
The fine print is what defines the deal as good or bad. Best advice: read all terms of contract before submitting to anything! Including film festivals Make sure you know your rights as an artist/creator.  
The ultimate question to all of you: Do you support or disagree with the idea of contests? Let me know what you think. - Eve.

Tips on being an employable filmmaker

Student Gabriel Garcia sent me a video of Kick Campbell (greyscalegorilla.com) talking about being an employable motion designer. Now, I know you guys are not motion designers, however the tips he gives in his talk apply to aspiring filmmakers, especially in NY.
Nick makes several valid points for students and novices trying to get jobs in the media arts field. He references specifically motion design until half way through his talk. The latter half of the talk applies to both designers and filmmakers. I think this will give you the general perception of the current job market and a unique look at, specifically, the motion graphics world. Enjoy!

How to Be A Motion Designer and GET PAID from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.