Web Series: 4 Things to Ask Yourself Before Starting

From the blog of Felicia Day. Apart from being adorable and talented, Felicia is pretty smart. She's been around the block a few times with the whole "original web series" thing which, at the end of the day, is the same as independent filmmaking. All four of these questions apply just as much to your indie doc feature as they do to her web series about online role-playing gamers.

The internet isn’t TV: It’s 20 million channels rather than 200. If you can’t sit down and easily identify what kind of person will like your show and name 5 places that person might go to on the internet, you will have a hard time getting the word out, no matter how good it is.

Read Web Series: 4 Things to Ask Yourself Before Starting on Felicia Day's blog.

Toronto After Dark film fest submissions deadline approaches

From Toronto After Dark's press release.

A quick announcement for any horror, sci-fi, action, animation or cult filmmakers out there. This is the final week to submit your short or feature film to the 2009 Toronto After Dark Film Festival. If you're looking to gain added exposure for your genre film it could be well worth your while taking the few minutes to enter.

Toronto After Dark has already established itself as one of North America's leading genre cinema showcases. Over 8,500 fans came out for last year's record-breaking Toronto event and all the films programmed including LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, REPO THE GENETIC OPERA, TOKYO GORE POLICE and I SELL THE DEAD scored extensive media coverage. This year's Toronto After Dark brings its cinematic mayhem for the first time to Summer and runs Aug 14-21, 2009.

To be considered, your film entry details must be completed online by end of day, this Friday May 15. Full details, including a fast and easy to complete online submission form, are available at the official festival website here:

http://www.torontoafterdark.com/

Frank advice from Heidi van Lier

Lately I've had the privilege of sitting on a couple of panels with Heidi van Lier, filmmaker and author of The Indie Film Rule Book. Heidi's advice is no-nonsense, funny, and wastes no time. If you're not reading her blog at the Film Independent web site, you should be. There she dispenses similar wisdom; I've linked to a few recent samples below.

• Why am I not treated like a rock star at festivals?
  
• Do I suck at panel etiquette?
  
• Why are panels valuable, anyway?
  
• Are little festivals even worth it?

Samsung backs photography doc on the festival circuit

In a smart move for the filmmakers and possibly for Samsung as well, Variety reports that documentary film Rock Prophecies has received funding from the electronics firm in return for some exposure to the audiences who show up. The film features rock photographer Robert M. Knight and presumably the audience who shows up to such a film will be highly interested in Samsung's new handset, which sports an 8-megapixel built in digital camera.

In your search for festival play and distribution, you should always ask yourself who your audience is and how to reach them. Then ask: who else wants to reach those people? Strategic partnerships begin when you identify those people & companies whose goals align with yours.

Distribution: What's the right way for my film?

I'm headed to Little Rock on Thursday and will be sitting in on a panel at the Little Rock Film Festival on Saturday.

Saturday, May 16th at 6:00 p.m.
Little Rock Chamber of Commerce
One Chamber Plaza, Little Rock, AR 72201
see more details

Also on the panel:

• Tim Basham (moderator) - "Paste" magazine and ASAP promotions
  
• Aron Gaudet - director, The Way We Get By
  
• Ray MacKinnon - actor, filmmaker
  
• Vincent Insalaco - producer War Eagle, Arkansas

Groth Named Sundance Director of Programming - indieWIRE

Trevor Groth is taking over the reins as Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival effective immediately. Groth takes the position after John Cooper, who previously held the position, was appointed Director of the Sundance Film Festival following the departure of longtime event head Geoff Gilmore to the Tribeca Film Institute in March.

No word yet on how this will affect Groth's duties as Artistic Director of CineVegas.

Read Groth Named Sundance Director of Programming - indieWIRE.

Winnebago Man - Tubed from Hot Docs

Hot Docs uploads a series of videos about its programming to YouTube. Here's one of my faves, starring Ben Steinbauer of Winnebago Man.

(Via Agnes Varnum.)