2008 SXSW Film Panels

We've started to announce the SXSW 2008 Film Panel Topics. They Include:

No Budget Filmmaking
Filmmaking used to be an elite club and up-front financing was a necessity. But with advancement in digital technology, and more alternative distribution routes, the options are virtually endless. These days, no budget equals no problem. Come listen to filmmakers and experts talk about the subject and learn how to jump start your film without the help of financiers and rich uncles.

Quit Your Day Job and Vlog
You can get paid to create a videoblog (vlog)? Meet some the people who have made internet video a full-time endeavor, and find out how they got that job, where they think it’s all going, and how you can get into it, too.

An Actor’s Workshop with Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor - the acclaimed TV, film and theater actor - explores different avenues leading to a great performance. Tambor will rehearse and refine scenes with actors onsite, to break down the performance process. This workshop is intended for those interested in bridging the gap between actor and director. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions.

Animation and Digital Effects on a Budget
Sophisticated visual effects and computer-generated animation used to be big-ticket items, best left to the $100 million blockbusters from Pixar and the Hollywood majors. But new tools are making visual effects and CG-animation more accessible to independent filmmakers, and also spawning smaller VFX and CG shops willing to work with indies. We’ll get an update from several innovators on the front lines.

Film Miss-Takes
When it comes to making a film, “nobody knows anything,” and novice filmmakers know even less. Poor choices can ensure that no one will watch what you’ve made. Early attention to legal and technical issues could mean the difference between having a viable film, or just an expensive calling card. Are you ready to talk about your project? Who should you talk to and what should you say (or not say)? Veterans of the industry discuss how filmmakers most often sabotage themselves, and discuss how to avoid it by doing your homework.

Digital Cinema For Indies
How can indie directors/producers get their work onto the growing number of digital screens in the US, and what are the economics of encoding your film so it can be downloaded digitally and onto a cinema’s server? We’ll also explore how digital cinema is changing the balance of power between Hollywood studios and independents, and what new developments lie ahead.

Blogs, Buzz, and Buddy Lists
Use the Internet before the Internet uses you. Thanks to blogs, web-video, and social networking sites, the online universe is a valuable (but no less intimidating) landscape for artists. How do you get the best out of blogs and other sites, to maximize your potential for an audience? Or, how do you get yourself introduced to the booming industry of online journalism and video sharing? These experts will dig deep into these ever-changing trends.

Deal or No Deal: The Road of Self-Distribution
For some filmmakers, getting their work to the masses becomes a very personal task. And, even when a conventional DVD or cable deal is part of the equation, some decide to take on the theatrical release solo. What is this process like? Seasoned filmmakers and members of the industry chat about the complicated world of “self-distribution,” and whether or not they would do it again.

SXSW Film to Host "A Conversation with Moby"

SXSW is happy to announce the inclusion of acclaimed musician Moby, as part of the 2008 SXSW Film Conference. Moby will participate in a session entitled “A Conversation with Moby,” hosted and moderated by Doreen Ringer-Ross of BMI. The session, scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, will take a look at the musician’s relationship with cinema, from composing original scores (Southland Tales) to contributing and licensing his music for film and TV projects (The Bourne Ultimatum, Heat). In addition, it will include a look at “moby gratis,” the musician’s new endeavor to offer some of his music, free-of-charge, to independent filmmakers.

SXSW 2008: Stanley Nelson. History in the Making.

Documentarian Stanley Nelson, one of the most prolific nonfiction filmmakers working today, will attend SXSW 2008 next March to take part in a discussion of his work and his process. The acclaimed filmmaker (Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, The Murder of Emmett Till) will showcase samples from his award-winning career as part of the 2008 SXSW Film Conference. Nelson's career includes a bevy of lauded historical documentaries, and he will share how he's achieved such an impressive body of work. Nelson will also dissect the way he approaches historical documentaries with a fresh and inventive sensibility. From the gripping portrait, The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords, to the popular music doc, Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice, Nelson's filmography speaks for itself as a glimpse into the sometimes-overlooked aspects of American history. Join Stanley Nelson for his panel session, "Stanley Nelson: History in the Making," at SXSW 2008.

FOUR DAY FILM SCHOOL @ SXSW

Whether you went to film school or not, SXSW has created a four-day explosion of information that should be essential and valuable to various members of the filmmaking scene. It’s called "Four-Day Film School," and it will occur as part of the annual SXSW Film Conference panel programs. On each of the four days of the SXSW Film Conference, badgeholders are invited to attend workshop sessions geared towards the specific details of getting a film from pre-production to post-production, and beyond. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time filmmaker or veteran, there are sessions included for every case. These are some of the topics that serve as the backbone for any film production, short or feature. Speakers to be announced in coming months, but here is the tentative schedule of the "Four-Day Film School" includes:

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2008
What Has the Writers Strike Taught Us? Mini-Meeting
Producing Mentor Session
Do I Really Want to Make My Movie? Mini-Meeting
Distributor Mentor Session
"Directing Actors" Mini-Meeting
Casting Director Mentor Session

SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2008
So You Want to Be an Entertainment Attorney Mini-Meetings
"Legal Issues Facing Filmmakers" Mini-Meeting
Festival Programmer Mentor Session
Epic Music for your Film on a Not So Epic Budget Mini-Meetings
Sales Agents Mentor Session

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
"Editing for Docs and Narratives" Mini-Meeting
Press Mentor Session
"Publicity 101" Mini-Meeting
Sound in Film Mini-Meeting
Distributors Mentor Session

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008
"The Morning After" Mini-Meeting
Texas Filmmaker Production Fund Mini-Meeting
Publicity Mentor Session

Conversations, Mentor Sessions & Mini-Meetings

“A Conversation with Helen Hunt”

will occur at the SXSW Film Conference, on Sunday, March 9. Hunt won an Oscar for her role in As Good As It Gets, as well as several Emmys for her role on the hit sitcom Mad About You. Her directorial debut, Then She Found Me, will screen at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. She will be in attendance to discuss her acclaimed career as an actress as well as making the leap behind the camera.

SXSW Film to Host "A Conversation with Moby"

SXSW is happy to announce the inclusion of acclaimed musician Moby, as part of the 2008 SXSW Film Conference. Moby will participate in a session entitled “A Conversation with Moby,” hosted and moderated by Doreen Ringer-Ross of BMI. The session, scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, will take a look at the musician’s relationship with cinema, from composing original scores (Southland Tales) to contributing and licensing his music for film and TV projects (The Bourne Ultimatum, Heat). In addition, it will include a look at “moby gratis,” the musician’s new endeavor to offer some of his music, free-of-charge, to independent filmmakers.

SXSW 2008: Stanley Nelson. History in the Making.

Documentarian Stanley Nelson, one of the most prolific nonfiction filmmakers working today, will attend SXSW 2008 next March to take part in a discussion of his work and his process. The acclaimed filmmaker (Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, The Murder of Emmett Till) will showcase samples from his award-winning career as part of the 2008 SXSW Film Conference. Nelson's career includes a bevy of lauded historical documentaries, and he will share how he's achieved such an impressive body of work. Nelson will also dissect the way he approaches historical documentaries with a fresh and inventive sensibility. From the gripping portrait, The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords, to the popular music doc, Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice, Nelson's filmography speaks for itself as a glimpse into the sometimes-overlooked aspects of American history. Join Stanley Nelson for his panel session, "Stanley Nelson: History in the Making," at SXSW 2008.

“A Conversation with Michael Eisner”

This special interview has been scheduled as a joint panel session for both SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive registrants. Scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, this will be a one-on-one interview with the founder of The Tornante Company and new media studio Vuguru, will feature the former head of Disney turned media mogul discussing his past, present and future endeavors, as he builds new companies and models for entertainment consumption.

One-on-One Mentor Sessions

It's always easier when you can put a face to the name. That's the method behind the annual Mentor Sessions at the the SXSW Film Conference. Attendees are invited to sign up for 15-minute sessions with a series of industry experts. It's the perfect opportunity to get some hands-on advice about the film business. It will allow everyone a chance to network, make contacts, and gain practical advice about navigating the film business.

Getting to Know the Guilds

Mini-Meetings

Mini-Meetings are SXSW Film's most intimate and hands-on panel sessions. Come and learn the nuts and bolts of filmmaking, publicity, contracts, and more from a collection of industry experts.