Archive for the 'Panels' Category
Panel: Indie Film Roulette
Want insight into some of the ugly truths about the indie biz? We’ve devised a way for you to see how filmmakers think – not as they’re taught in film school but as they must, on their feet, in the real world where circumstances shift and money changes hands.
All of our panelists were given a premise and asked to tell us how they’d approach it. We then began throwing them a variety of curve balls. How did they cope with lost financing, casting catastrophes, and other obstacles that can hold a film back on its way to the screen?
Meanwhile, the audience participated in what we’re calling “indie roulette” and voted on which panelist would ultimately get to make his or her project. Sure, it’s a game, but as it unfolds, we think you’ll gain valuable perspective on the often risky world of filmmaking.
Posted on November 26, 2009 // No Comments »
Panel: Who Has the Write Stuff?
Doctors keep them stashed in drawers, lawyers dream of selling theirs, and legions of fledgling scribes hope they’ll discover the secret to fashioning them from scratch.
We’re talking about screenplays, seen by many as gateways to a creatively satisfying and lucrative career in movies. Taking a cue from Peter Hanson’s documentary Tales from the Script, our panelists examine their calling with all its frustrations, triumphs, and rewards. They tell us about the potential gaps between script and screen. They consider the writer/director relationship, citing examples from their own experiences. Most of all, they let us know whether having the write stuff is enough to get a screenplay off your desk and into the theater.
Posted on November 25, 2009 // No Comments »
Panel: The Environment in Focus: Four Films and a Panel
Environmental advocacy has become a powerful cultural touchstone; as such, it is a core concern for the 2009 Starz Denver Film Festival.
SDFF 32 presented a panel discussion with the directors of So Right So Smart and Split Estate as well as local corporate leaders, who examined the ways in which environmentalism can make good business sense. Can small but responsible companies make a difference?
Posted on November 24, 2009 // No Comments »
Panel: It’s a Documentary, But Can You Trust It?
In this Starz Denver Film Festival discussion, our panel of documentary filmmakers discuss how they build stories and create drama while remaining true to the facts. They examine questions of style and substance, considering different approaches to the art of the documentary – from fly-on-the-wall realism to frank advocacy. They touch upon everything from the role of research to the use of staged footage in what has become one of our most vital cinematic genres. And they discuss how the world’s best-known documentary filmmaker – Michael Moore – has impacted audience expectations for nonfiction films.
This panel featured six filmmakers with documentaries screening at this year’s festival: Paul Osborne (Official Rejection); AJ Schnack (Convention); Julie Speer Hunniford (Swift Justice); Michael Sladek (Con Artist); Donal Mosher (October Country); and Michael Palmieri (October Country). Film critic Robert Denerstein moderated the discussion
Posted on November 16, 2009 // No Comments »
Panel: DIY Filmmaking in an Indie Apocalypse
Amid shrieks that the sky is falling on the indie film world, a number of fresh young talents who have quietly gone DIY—making fiercely original films on shoestring budgets without support from industry insiders—gathered to discuss their process.
This panel, “DIY Filmmaking in an Indie Apocalypse” was moderated by Karina Longworth, Editor of SpoutBlog.
Longworth was joined by Paul Cannon, Alex Cannon, and Michael Lerman, Natural Causes; David Pomes, Cook County; Jason Goodman, The Eternal City; Darren Dean, Prince of Broadway; and Mike Gibisser, Finally, Lillian and Dan.
“DIY Filmmaking in an Indie Apocalypse” was sponsored by PayReel.
Posted on November 25, 2008 // 1 Comment »
Panel: The Cell Phone as Theater
This panel, “The Cell Phone as Theater…and Other Distibution Dilemas,” examines the rapidly changing field of film distribution. Are we on the verge of a technological revolution as the silver screen shrinks to fit our spiffy new telephones? Is there still a place for the traditional movie theater experience?
Film critic Robert Denerstein moderated this panel discussion. Denerstein was joined by a group of industry experts including Adam Dornbusch, Jaman; Doug Jones, Los Angeles Film Festival; Kathleen McInnis, Palm Springs Shorts Fest; Christian Gaines, Withoutabox; Mark Rabbinowitz, Cinelan; and Matt Dentler, Cinetic.
“The Cell Phone as Theater…and Other Distibution Dilemas” was sponsored by PayReel.
Posted on November 24, 2008 // 1 Comment »
Panel: Deadly Games: Echoes of Columbine
Danny Ledonne—creator of the controversial video game Super Columbine Massacre RPG! and director of Playing Columbine, a documentary about the game’s impact—was on hand for this panel discussion to discuss the relationship between video games and real-world violence.
Ledonne was joined on the panel by Brian Crecente, Managing Editor of Kotaku; and film critic Robert Denerstein, who served as moderator.
Starz Denver Film Festival Director Britta Erickson provided opening remarks.
“Deadly Games: Echoes of Columbine” was sponsored by PayReel.
Watch the Playing Columbine Trailer:
Posted on November 23, 2008 // 1 Comment »
Panel: Stop The Presses!
Manny Mendoza and Mark Birnbaum’s documentary Stop the Presses provides the springboard for this panel discussion about the fate of print journalism in deeply troubled economic times.
How can newspapers generate revenue as their readerships increasingly turn to the Internet for coverage? How long can organizations operating in the red continue to maintain large staffs of reporters? Are we close to the day when the presses stop for good? The answers to these urgent and challenging questions may determine not only the future of our media but the very stability of our democracy.
This panel, moderated by film critic Robert Denerstein, took place after a screening of Stop the Presses at the Denver Newspaper Agency. Joining Denerstein was Al Lewis, The Denver Post and Dow Jones Newswires; David Milstead, Rocky Mountain News; and Manny Mendoza.
“Stop The Presses! Film + Panel” was sponsored by PayReel.
Watch the Trailer:
Posted on November 20, 2008 // 1 Comment »
Panel: Women + Film: Africa in Transition
Three festival documentaries focusing on Africa were the focus of this year’s Women + Film panel: Gini Reticker’s Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Lisa Merton and Alan Dater’s Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, and Sarah Friedland’s Thing with No Name.
The third annual Women + Film panel, “Africa in Transition,” featured Lisa Merton and Sarah Friedland, as well as Esy Casey, director of photography and producer of Thing with No Name; and Abby Disney, president and co-founder of the Daphne Foundation.
This panel was moderated by Lesley Dahlkemper, president of Schoolhouse Communications, and featured opening remarks by Denver Film Society’s Arpie Chucovich and Barbara Bridges
“Women + Film: Africa in Transition” was sponsored by Barbara Bridges/Wildblue Entertainment and PayReel.
Posted on November 18, 2008 // No Comments »
Panel: Crossing The Blogosphere
When the Starz Denver Film Festival showed its first movie 30 years ago, the word “blog” didn’t even exist. Now movie blogs are proliferating across the Internet while newspapers continue to downsize. From the flip and hip to the ultra-serious, blogs impact every aspect of the world of cinema and our panel, “Crossing The Blogosphere,” explores this fast-growing phenomenon.
This panel was moderated by noted film critic Robert Denerstein, who also blogs at Denerstein Unleashed. He was joined by bloggers AJ Schnack of All These Wonderful Things, James Israel of Jump Cuts, Mark Rabinowitz of The Rabbi Report, Matt Dentler of Matt Dentler’s Blog, and Karina Longworth of Spout.
This episode also features an introduction by Britta Erickson, Media and Industry Relations Director of the Starz Denver Film Festival.
Posted on November 19, 2007 // No Comments »
