Women in Film & Video New England Members and Friends are invited to attend The 13th Annual Emerson Film Festival Boston area gala event on Thursday, March 14th in the Bright Family Screening Room. The annual showcase of student work will feature a presentation by Semel Screenwriting Chair DAVID MAGEE (LIFE OF PI, FINDING NEVERLAND).

STUDENT FILMS INCLUDE:
The King of the House by Paul Michael MacCarty ’16
A documentary short featuring Robert Dello Russo, an Italian barbershop owner from Boston’s North End. His story is rich with history, inspiration and most importantly, the preservation and importance of family values both at home and in the workplace.

Graceland Girls by Jordan Salvatoriello, MFA ’12;
Educating girls has proven to be the cornerstone of Kenyan development, yet so many are denied equal access. The students at the Graceland Girls School in Kenya have, so far, defied the odds. Using a combination of video and photographs, the girls share their personal struggles to find hope for the future.

Love or Farewell by Shaun Clarke, MFA ’12
A collection of five dance films loosely based on the short story “Eveline,” found in James Joyce’s “Dubliners”. Each short film explores the potential to transform dance performance through cinema. Eveline must choose between running away with her lover Frank to Buenos Ayres or staying home with her ill father.

Solutionism: A Design Documentary by Hsiao-Yen Jones ’14;
Artivist Designer, Matt LeGrand speaks on the possibility that design has for both the visual and real world.

Got You by Bianca Morris ’12.
Lexi, an 8 year old only child, discovers her mother’s thoughts of suicide.

There will be an after-event reception in the Bright Screening Room Lobby.

This event is free and open to the public.  Seating is on a first come basis.

For more information please contact: Anna Feder (emersonvma@gmail.com)
http://www.emerson.edu/academics/departments/visual-media-arts/bright-lights?day=14&month=3&year=2013
https://www.facebook.com/events/576532072376265

Not yet a member of WIFV/NE? Sign up here!

Join us Tuesday, February 5th for introductions, news and networking at Beacon Tavern at 1032 Beacon St. in Brookline, from 6:30-8:30. This event is free, and open to all current, and prospective members. WIFVNE is actively seeking new members and volunteers to join the organization, and help us continue to thrive and serve our community.

If you can’t make it to the meetings, but want to get involved, drop us a line! info@womeninfilmvideo.org 617-871-9667

By Shannon Mullen

I’ve never produced a movie before, but the projected budget for my first feature film project is $20M-50M.  A lot of people ask me how I know what I’m doing.  The short answer is I don’t; I’m learning as I go, so it’s a good thing that “nobody knows anything in Hollywood,” as one of my mentors (an accomplished screenwriter and novelist) often reminds me.

The producing shelf in my office bookcase.

There’s no substitute for experience, but I believe you can learn a lot about producing by reading about it (or at least enough to fake it until you make it).

For about four years now I’ve been reading books, magazines, trade websites and blogs, etc.  By this point enough people have asked me about my list that I thought I’d share what I’ve found to be the best of it here:

Books

• “So You Want to Be a Producer” by Lawrence Turman
• “The Hollywood Economist” by Edward Jay Epstein
• “Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films” by Tom Malloy
• “Getting the Money” by Jeremy Juuso
• “Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry” by Mark Litwak
• “Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters” by Michael Tierno
• “The Art of Film” by Howard Suber
• “The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers” by Thomas A. Crowell Esq.
• “The Big Picture: The New Logic of Money and Power in Hollywood” by Edward Jay Epstein
• “Filmmakers and Financing” by Louise Levinson
• “On Writing” by Stephen King
• “The Portable Film School” by D.B. Gilles

Magazines/websites

• TheWrap.com (a must!!)
• The Hollywood Reporter (daily headlines and alerts)
• Company Town (the LA Times blog)
• Issues, Innovation & Creativity (blog of the MPAA)
• Deadline.com
• Research Wrap Blog by Baseline Intelligence
• NewEnglandFilm.com
• Pro.IMDb.com
• Produced By (official magazine of the PGA)
• MovieMaker Magazine
• Filmmaker
• Movie reviews in the New Yorker, the NY Times the Boston Globe and the LA Times

I also recommend the article that sparked my interest in producing – “We Are Not the Enemy: The Truth About Producers” by Larry Turman (see page 28) in which he succinctly sums up the qualifications for the job:

 The best producers have the taste and creativity of an artist, the mind-set of an entertainer, the people skills of a politician, the business acumen of a CEO, the insight of a psychotherapist, the ebullience of a cheerleader, the tenacity of a pit bull, the charm of a snake-oil seller, the delegating ability of a five-star general, the malleability of a chameleon, and the dedication of a monk.

My experience to date suggests that Mr. Turman nails it.