South African Links

The Writing Studio and ScreenAfrica they both look like good starting points.

Clubbed the film

I know this is blog is about short films but I had to post about the feature film my friend is distributing and getting its premier in Birmingham tomorrow.

Official site here.

Andrew MacDonald Masterclass Edinburgh

From Rough Cuts (sign up at Scottish Screen if you haven't already).

Date: Friday 16 January 2009
Time: 2-5pm
Venue: Studio 2, Screen Academy Scotland Production Centre, School of Arts and Creative Industries, Napier University, 2A Merchiston Avenue, Edinburgh, EH10 4NU

Andrew Macdonald is a producer, perhaps best known for his collaborations with screenwriter John Hodge and director Danny Boyle, including Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting (1996) and A Life Less Ordinary (1997).
Together with Duncan Kenworthy, he is also the founder of DNA Films, the production company responsible for The Parole Officer (2001), 28 Days Later (2002) and Sunshine (2007). He is the brother of director Kevin Macdonald and the grandson of filmmaker Emeric Pressburger.

For a full list of his work, please visit www.imdb.com/name/nm0531602.
For more information and to book your place, please e-mail info@screenacademyscotland.ac.uk.

Friday On My Mind

then... I discover that the Australian Film Television and Radio School run free yes FREE events every Friday with a speaker and networking.

Sydney - making a film - next steps

Then I would find a script. Now I could perhaps write one but having only lived in the city for a short while it would be too easy to fall into a kind of 'touristy type film' made by an outsider. One which is more firmly rooted in place will always be a better sell. I'd go online and try and find scripts, contact all the screenwriters courses advertised on line and see if I could circulate my details to the writers and specify the length of script needed. Then sit down and do a lot of reading. My criteria being

1. is this a good compelling story
2. is it a good story but not well told? Can the writer do rewrites?
3. is this feasible and realisable? You might need to find a Sydney based film producer or get someone to mentor you and would be prepared to answer questions. For example I know that films set on public transport in the UK are prohibitively expensive but that might not be the case in Australia.

What if ?

What if I did decide to move to Sydney and restart my filmmaking career?

I could hermit like sit around and make exquistely crafted documentaries on my own or I could go out and create my own community of filmmakers.

Shooting People don't seem to have a list in Australia so I'd join the Australian Short Films Forum.

I'd do a course - either to update my skills or to get a new one. Doing a course is the best way to find collaborators.

I'd find out where short films were being shown and go along. I'd find out about film festivals ditto (many film festivals have ancillary events about filmmaking which are worth going to). I'd try and get to as many networky type events as possible and if there weren't any start my won using the power of Meet Up / Gumtree or even notices left in places.

Any other suggestions?

down under film makers

Bloggy silence due to extended trip away from shores of UK. Been doing family stuff in Sydney but picked up leaflets about 2 different lots of filmcourses and seen posters for film festivals all over - so the film culture here seems pretty lively. One terrible 'artist video' at the Contempoary Art Gallery though - please would someone legislate to keep cameras away from 'artists'. The public needs protection !

Sydney Film School

International Film School Sydney

Flickerfest