Direct Before You Shoot:  Storyboarding for Film and Television
Live webinar with David Russell   -   April 24-25, 2010

Learn how to design powerful and dynamic film imagery that connects with its intended audiences, utilizing techniques painstakingly developed by cinematic masters. This two-day on-line Master Class is an expert analysis of visual planning and directing through the process of storyboarding.  It is designed for professionals and students in the areas of film and animation directing, storyboarding, pre-visualization and editing. It offers a practical set of techniques that can strengthen each filmmaker’s storytelling ability. 

The lecturer, David Russell, is an authority on the subject of visual storytelling.  In close collaboration with celebrated directors including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Tim Burton and Peter Weir, he has created key sequences for over 100 film and television productions, including Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, The Color Purple, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Thin Red Line, Moulin Rouge, Master and Commander, and the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 

The Master Class is structured to include exercises, and offers a Certificate of Completion to the participants.  For more details about the event and the lecturer, you may visit our website

www.directbeforeyoushoot.com  

Contact us for special student and group discounts.  

webinardr@yahoo.com 

Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the animated film My Dog Tulip is that people who don’t consider themselves dog people are irresistibly drawn to it. In this way, audiences resemble J.R. Ackerley, upon whose best selling memoir the film is based. Ackerley, a former BBC correspondent, adopted the titular “Alsatian bitch” on a lark, and in the most improbable way ended up finding the love of his life. But, far from sentimental about it, Ackerley’s memoir dryly notes the social consequences attendant on dog ownership—including considerable knowledge of certain intimate biological processes and functions. Renowned animator Paul Fierlinger has been working for more than 50 years and teamed with wife Sandra for the past 15 to produce wry, sophisticated animations using a characteristically beautiful, fluid style akin to watercolor painting. In fact, the team uses a computerized painting tablet to create their unmistakable style, and this film is the first-ever feature entirely hand-drawn and painted using paperless computer technology. Like all of the Fierlingers’ multiple–award-winning works, one of the film’s greatest assets lies in its ability to subtly and astutely add commentary to nonfictional material. The film opens up layers of meaning in ways subtle and humorous, giving audiences access to Ackerley’s text by novel means. In the end, this story isn’t so much about a man and a dog as about the trials and joys of discovering one’s mate. 

—Sean Uyehara

Additional showtimes are:

Sun, Apr 25 / 6:00 PM / Kabuki / 1881 Post St., San Francisco

Tue, Apr 27 / 4:15 PM / Kabuki / 1881 Post St., San Francisco

Sat, May 01 / 8:50 PM / Pacific Film Archive Theater / 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley

Reed Exhibitions has announced the launch of Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), which will take place April 16-18, 2010 at McCormick Place in downtown Chicago.

As for C2E2, show organizers are planning a major launch. "We are aiming big," said Lance Fensterman, who is VP and Show Manager for NYCC and who will also be overseeing C2E2. "We plan to apply everything we have learned in launching and building New York Comic Con to our Chicago event and we intend for it to be a major attraction right out the gate. Of course, this not only means providing a customer friendly atmosphere but also providing dynamic programming that boasts top talent from across the pop culture spectrum, including artists, creators and celebrities from Hollywood, TV, comics, books, video games, toys, anime, manga and all other applicable aspects of the popular arts. But, most importantly, we will also seek to make adjustments so that our show reflects the essence of Chicago. This will be critically important. The city itself will form an important part of our identity."

Cartoons on the Bay and the Pulcinella Awards will take place in Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino from April 15-18, 2010.

New aspects of the festival include a new cross-media and interactive animation categories and a free branded new business area to strengthen meetings among all the delegates.

All filmmakers, anywhere, are invited to submit your short or feature film -- drama, comedy, documentary, animation or experimental work. It must have been completed since January 1, 2008.

EARLY DEADLINE DATE: August 15, 2009 (Other deadlines: 10/1/2009, 11/15/2009. and 12/01/2009)

ENTRY FEES: Vary by short or feature and increase with each new deadline date

Go to our website -- kcjubilee.org -- for complete details, entry form, and pay fee online. You may also submit through WAB.

Check out our special CinemaJAZZ division if you have made a work (short or feature) inspired by JAZZ

Send your screener (DVD-region 1), check, entry form to: KC Jubilee, 4826 W. 77th Terrace, Prairie Village, KS 66208-4321

Kansas City FilmFest is scheduled for April 14-18, 2010 at the all digital AMC Mainstreet. Visiting filmmakers and jurors will be announced soon.

If you have any questions - call 913-649-0244 or email: kcjub@kcjubilee.org.

The Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo and Multimedia Conference (OEGE) is a one day conference that seeks to bring together students, educators, professionals and enthusiasts in all areas of Computer-Aided Technology and highlight Oklahoma as a creative outlet for these industries.

Computer-Aided Technology encompasses all creative industries that use computers for the development of their designs, such as video game, multimedia, graphic design, web design, CAD, GIS, video editing, animation, and digital art.

By offering an educated workforce, we strive to make Oklahoma a prime location for game development, multimedia, animation, etc., thus expanding this growing creative industry.

Announcing the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Marathon Cosplay Contest!

On April 3, 2010 at 1:30 PM, the Freer and Sackler Galleries, in partnership with Otakorp, Inc. and the DC Anime Club, will host a cosplay contest as part of our annual National Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Marathon.  The contest is open to individuals or groups.  Each individual or group will be given a maximum of three minutes to perform before an audience in the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium.  A panel of judges will present awards at the end of the event.  All costumes and performances must be family-friendly.

To enter, send an email to fsgasiafilms@si.edu  with your name, the number of people in your group (if applicable), and a brief description and picture of the character(s) you will be performing.  The first 20 individuals or groups who respond will be accepted.

For more information on the Freer and Sackler Galleries film programs, please visit www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp.

We look forward to your participation in what is sure to be a very fun event!

The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery.

Year after year, the event is a launching pad for new creative content. New media presentations, music showcases and film screenings provide buzz-generating exposure for creators and compelling entertainment for audiences. Conference panel discussions present a forum for learning, business activity thrives at the SXSW Trade Show: The Exhibition for Creative Industries and global networking opportunities abound. Austin serves as the perfect backdrop for SXSW®, where career development flourishes amid the relaxed atmosphere. Intellectual and creative intermingling among industry leaders continues to spark new ideas and carve the path for the future of each ever-evolving field, long after the events' conclusion.

Introducing our Conferences and Festivals...

The SXSW® Music and Media Conference celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2011. Reaching a quarter of a century of being the biggest and most anticipated convergence of all things music, SXSW is ready to keep the reputation alive by programming the best event yet.

By day, thousands of conference registrants network in the halls of the Austin Convention Center on their way to do business at the SXSW Trade Show: The Exhibition for Creative Industries, sit in on informative panel discussions featuring some of the industry's key players, gain insight from legendary keynote speakers or plan out their abundant party schedules. At night, SXSW showcases hundreds upon hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. All this and so much more, combine to make SXSW one of the most revered music events, year after year.

The SXSW® Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.

The Film Conference buzzes as world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience. Simultaneously, the internationally acclaimed, nine-day Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, featuring a truly diverse program that includes provocative documentaries, subversive comedies, DIY narratives, genre standouts and more.

The 18th annual SXSW® Interactive Festival challenges you to envision the future of innovative technology. Featuring five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging media and scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders, SXSW Interactive offers an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, digital projects, wireless applications, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis, SXSW Interactive has become the place to preview of what is unfolding in the world of creative technology. Join us March 2011 for the panels, the parties, the 14th Annual Interactive Awards, SXSW ScreenBurn, the SXSW Trade Show, SXSW Accelerator and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver.

The Oscars reward the previous year’s greatest cinema achievements as determined by some of the world’s most accomplished motion picture artists and professionals. The Academy’s roughly 6,000 members vote for the Oscars using secret ballots, which are tabulated by the international auditing firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. The auditors maintain absolute secrecy until the moment the show’s presenters open the envelopes and reveal the winners on live television.

Awards are presented for outstanding individual or collective efforts in up to 25 categories. Members select winners from as many as five nominees in each category, which are determined by members of the relevant Academy branch. (For instance, only film editors may nominate for the Achievement in Film Editing award.) The only exceptions are the Best Picture category, for which nominees are selected by the entire membership, and the Best Foreign Language films, which are nominated by a committee of members drawn from all branches.

In addition to the regular annual awards conferred by the membership, the Board of Governors is empowered to bestow Scientific and Technical Awards, Honorary Awards, Special Achievement Awards and other honors. Learn more about all the awards here.

Broadcast rights to the annual Oscar telecast provide the majority of the revenue for the organization’s rich and varied year-round activities.

The Academy’s 2nd annual Animated Feature Symposium celebrates the work of the 2009 Oscar nominees in the Animated Feature Film category. In an evening of film clips and discussion, the nominees will discuss their creative inspiration and techniques as well as their film’s remarkable road to the big screen (panelists subject to availability).

When:
Thursday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. Theater doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Where:
Samuel Goldwyn Theater
8949 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Admission :
$5 general
$3 Academy members and students with a valid ID