Read the rest...]]> The box jellyfish is one of the world’s deadliest creatures. With tentacles up to three metres long and venom that attacks the skin, the heart and the nervous system, swimmers that are unlucky enough to be stung often never make it back to the shore. Drowned after going into shock, or dead of heart failure.

With experience as a former teenage backpacker in the area, Mooneys Insurance Brokers managing director David Mansley was well aware of the dangers faced by those brave – or stupid – enough to venture into the water along the Northern Queensland coastline during stinging season, which was why alarm bells rang when the production team behind shark thriller The Reef planned to do just that.

“There’s no way they could have shot where they were proposing to shoot,” he says.

Thankfully, co-producer Tiare Tomaszewski had contacted the insurance broker in the very early stages of the production – although locations had been planned, nothing had been officially booked. The production ended up shooting hundreds of kilometres south of where they had originally intended. The Reef’s predator remained a hungry shark instead of a wayward jellyfish. Crisis averted.

In the film and TV industry, where unpredictability is often the rule rather than the exception and the best laid plans often fall through, insurance is a necessary precaution.

“People say you’ve always got to have a Plan B,” says Mansley. “But the film industry has Plans B, C, D, E, F, G, H.” Purchasing insurance is, as Mansley puts it, buying a cheque to cover things that could go wrong.

For The Reef, this involved providing coverage for film equipment that could be damaged by water exposure (the film spent four-and-a-half weeks shooting on the ocean), the potential hazard of sharp rocks, stonefish, and, yes, box jellyfish.

Brokers often join a production at the very beginning of development, as most policies need to be in place prior to pre-production. Shooting schedules and equipment use are evaluated, scripts are examined and risk management plans drawn up surrounding any proposed stunts.

“We prefer to get involved in the embryonic stage,” says Mansley, who is also working with Blackfella Films on ABC telemovie Mabo. “Insurance is a fairly substantial spend in the budget. We have to help the producers figure out how much they’re going to spend.”

While this works well for features and series that get the green light, many never make it to our screens – and there’s no insurance for insurers whose work never comes to fruition.

“One of the major issues facing the film industry is obtaining finance,” says Midland Insurance senior account executive, Brian Holland. “We do a lot of work in preparing preliminary quotations and some of these projects never see the light of day. That’s the nature of the beast, we just have to grin and bear it.”

Midland Insurance has worked on two big films that have graced our screens this year: Simon Wincer’s The Cup and Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown. According to Holland, both features had “issues peculiar to those productions”.

The Cup, which tells the true story of Damien Oliver’s 2002 Melbourne Cup victory, took out a package policy that consisted of negative film risk, equipment insurance, money, public liability and film producer’s indemnity. Of these covers, the latter two were deemed the most important. Under the film producer’s indemnity, key members of the cast and crew are covered in the event of any expenditure that may occur as a result of death or injury during principal photography. In The Cup, three of those cast members were horses.

With the film shooting at various race courses and football fields, where cast and crew liaised with contractors and members of the public not involved in the production, public liability insurance was also a priority.

According to Aon Australia senior account executive, Peter Sun, public liability is the main concern underpinning the industry as a whole. Almost 40 per cent of film and TV claims reported to Aon fall under this category. The company has recently worked on TV series including Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year and The Amazing Race Australia.

The public liability policy covers the insured party (which, on a film, is the production company) in the event of personal injury or property damage as a result of being exposed to risks on set. It is similar to third party insurance, rather than workers’ compensation.

Contractors involved in the film are considered separate legal entities and must have their own cover. Confused? It seems most people are. Mansley admits he spends at least one-third of his time explaining to production companies who is and isn’t covered by public liability insurance.

“Contractors simply don’t realise that they aren’t covered and assume that an umbrella insurance policy is in existence somewhere that covers them automatically,” says Sun. “In reality, they’re on their own and responsible for looking after their own professional interests.”

Equally as vital as public liability cover, but with a lower chance of being claimed upon, is the Errors & Omissions policy (E&O). This cover provides indemnity for any lawsuits launched against the production company that concern breach of copyright, defamation, plagiarism, libel or slander.

“It’s a very low risk for the insurance company,” says Mansley.

Despite this, it’s a policy that’s very important to get right. Broadcasters generally require programs to have an E&O policy to be in place and American distributors will not purchase a film without one.

While working on psychological thriller Snowtown, Brian Holland found that putting the film’s E&O policy in place took weeks rather than days because of the nature of the subject matter. Productions based on real life stories require brokers to work closely with the producers to provide evidence that the people involved will be portrayed appropriately.

“You have to show that the treatment of people still alive is satisfactory and that the treatment of deceased people was satisfactory,” says Holland. “With Snowtown, we were dealing with people who were – how do I put this? They were allegedly murdered and not treated in a very nice way.”

Cover for intellectual property, defamation and copyright is particularly relevant in the age of viral marketing. According to Sun, film and television producers that market their films through social media face an increased level of exposure to risk. Aon has addressed this by launching Multi Media Insurance – a package which covers public liability, defamation and errors & omissions under one policy.

While preparing for online risks is manageable, readying productions for the possibility of greater dangers can prove a challenge. During the production of a recent series of ABC’s Hungry Beast, Mansley was contacted in the late afternoon about a scene that was to be shot the following morning.

“They rang me and said ‘Look, we’re shooting at 6:30 tomorrow morning, we’re going to air that night, and we need coverage in place for the guy we’re going to set on fire,’” he recalls.

Impossible? Mansley certainly thought so. But when he contacted the public liability insurer, they were happy to put a cover in place, for no additional premium. It was a stroke of luck – activities far less dangerous than setting a man on fire are often priced far more highly, or even rejected by insurers for being too risky.

In some cases, particular stunts or sequences can be deemed uninsurable because of the potential danger involved. When this occurs, the risk, and the responsibility needs to be dealt with contractually, or else removed completely by altering the scene.

“Every legal entity has a duty of care to the public and to its employees,” explains Mansley. “Insurance is transferring that risk, having another entity carrying your risk for a price.”

Before the show’s cancellation, Mooneys Insurance worked with Top Gear Australia, placing the film production insurance locally, but giving the motor and public liability insurance to underwriters from a London-based Lloyd’s syndicate which had previously worked on Top Gear UK. Mansley approached the London underwriters after unsuccessfully approaching insurers in Australia.

“I knew no one in Australia would take it, but I tried them anyway,” he says. “The Australian insurance market in general doesn’t understand film… When they don’t have a lot of knowledge in a particular area, they often err on the side of caution and simply decline to consider writing the risk.”

Mansley believes that the solution is educating insurers on the business. “Film isn’t all about blowing up buildings like Die Hard,” he says. “That’s actually the exception to the rule.”

This article first appeared in IF Magazine #144 Dec 2011 – Jan 2012.

Re-posted from IF.

Read the rest...]]> We talked to one of the founders of Sundance and an Academy Award-nominated producer about digital filmmaking.

Ever since filmmaking began co-starring with technology, it hasn’t followed the Hollywood formula, but that doesn’t mean there can’t still be a Hollywood ending.

Producer Jeff Mandel began his film career “on the early side” of the digital revolution. Since then, he has been nominated for an Oscar for Murderball and has brought other award-winning films like last year’s Monogamy with Rashida Jones to theaters. Mandel has firsthand wisdom gained from witnessing the rapid co-evolution of technology and film.Kic

For filmmakers that are just starting out and are working at the edge of technology, being aware of equipment and cost constraints will result in a more screen-worthy product. “There’s the burden of achieving a production value that’s consistent with what a movie audience would expect,” Mandel says.

Tech to Tell Your Story
As in so many other media, the ultimate responsibility for quality lies with the content. “You want to work from content that’s consistent with the technology you’re using,” Mandel says. “Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

How do you judge what would work best? “Part of it is having a feel for the material,” Mandel says, “but it’s a bit iterative.” In general, for those with a small budget, he recommends making a film that’s more plot and dialogue heavy.

Technology has moved film away from the reality-based material that’s been the bane of screenwriters and brought it back to the basics of telling a story. “I think the most exciting thing I’ve seen happen is that the content is scripted,” says Gary Beer, who made the Sundance Film Festival the independent powerhouse it is today when he was president and CEO of the Sundance Group from 1983 to 1999. “For serious filmmakers, that’s a good sign.”

Tech to Fund and Film
No matter the subject matter, plan out every stage in advance. “Think about the end game before you shoot a frame,” Mandel says. He advocates bringing the post-production team onboard from the get-go. A tight production schedule will not only help the bottom line, it will attract a crew that might otherwise be reluctant to sign on to a small production. “Similarly, with talent, you can cast above your weight,” Mandel says.

Beer’s latest venture, StarCast, is designed to bring vetted talent to the computer screens of filmmakers. StarCast’s casting directors, which include Gretchen Rennell Court of Runaway Bride and Amy Taksen Somers of The Mummy, evaluate actors reading the same scene and post the four best performances from each of 24 demographic categories every two weeks. If a performance catches a filmmaker’s interest, StarCast will put them in touch.

For filmmakers on a budget, StarCast is not only free to use, but a favorable way to scout talent. Because the majority of its actors are looking for the sort of interesting roles that are more likely to win them accolades than earnings, they’re often open to independent or low-budget projects, Beer says.

As for the source of that budget, raising funds with Kickstarter will bring filmmakers both much-needed cash and buy-in from future fans. A lot of people have a strong interest in being a part of the creative process, Mandel says, and they can get this from funding a film on Kickstarter. “It taps into that participatory thing people have,” he says. The public has a fascination with “seeing how the sausage is made,” with a film, Mandel says, and with Kickstarter, backers can monitor the progress of one.

Tech to Take You from Post-Production to Distribution
Kickstarter also brings the early attraction of fans, which plays into the very important stage of film distribution. Getting a movie screened still relies on spreading the word and a social media share from a backer can be just as valuable as their dollars.

The nontraditional distribution that technology facilitates gives film projects a better shot at reaching audiences. Beer notes that an impressive YouTube piece, a film with attention-grabbing subject matter, and a short that features a well-known actor can now merit attention minus marketing. Alternative distribution also games the system.”Right now there are a lot more independent films than there are screens for them,” Beer says.

The destigmatization of new means and modes of distribution betters a film’s chances of being taken seriously. “There are more and more avenues of distribution that have a lot less stink on them,” Mandel says.

Mandel was the production finance consultant on a film that took one of those avenues, Margin Call, a fictionalized but no less true account of the collapse of an investment bank starring Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons. Margin Call hit the video-on-demand market the same day it opened in theaters, helping boost its chance at profitability; it’s grossed a respectable $5.4 million on a production budget of $3.4 million. The novel approach to distribution didn’t hurt its credibility either; Margin Call is up for an Oscar for best original screenplay.

“Even people skeptical of emerging distribution have to hit the pause key and say: something’s happening here,” Mandel says.

Re-posted from PC Magazine.

Read the rest...]]> High-speed motorcycle chase scenes, skateboarding and torture chambers all contributed to making The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo a film filled with tension. Those scenes also made it the riskiest film of 2011 to insure, a top Hollywood underwriter said Monday.

The distinction won’t come up on Oscar Night, but Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. covers 80 percent of U.S. films and annually designates one as the riskiest film to underwrite. In general, insurance for a film can cost between 1 percent and 3 percent of the movie’s overall budget.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo featured a wide range of risky elements, including motorcycle, skateboarding, fight and torture scenes, and filming in foreign locations, which all contributed appreciably to its overall risk,” said Lauren Bailey, vice president of entertainment at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.

As the Fireman’s Fund list illustrates, there’s a different kind of tension behind the scenes on movie sets — between the movie’s director and the company that insures the film. The drama is over how to keep the film exciting while minimizing risk.

“When underwriting films, Fireman’s Fund works closely with the movie studios to manage risks and liabilities, and ensure the safety of all participants, while still achieving the director’s artistic vision,” Bailey said.

One change to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: The motorcycle chase scenes were done by stunt professionals to lower risk to actress Rooney Mara, Fireman’s Fund said.

The movie is based on the first book in a trilogy written by Stieg Larson and is about Swedish computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist working together to solve a mystery. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig starred in the 2011 American version of the movie.

The fiction-turned-film phenomenon has been a huge money maker. Before the American version of the film came out, a 2009 Swedish version grossed over $100 million, the movie’s director, Niels Arden Oplev, told The Screening Room in 2010.

Movie insurance can include coverage for the cast — to cover expenses for the movie in case an actor is injured or dies, which is essentially business interruption coverage. There’s also coverage for props, wardrobes, sound equipment and legal liability for real property while the cast is at a filming on location.

Here are Fireman’s Fund riskiest films in the past five years, and some of the risks associated with each:

2010: “Salt” — the action thriller featured Angelina Jolie performing her own stunts, including fight scenes, motorcycle riding, jumping off a bridge and handling various weapons. “Whenever an actor chooses to do their own stunts it increases the film’s risk because you have an actor doing that rather than a professional stunt person,” Bailey said. “These types of scenes contribute appreciably to a film’s overall risk and Fireman’s Fund helps by creating solutions to cover specific exposures.”

2009: “Inglorious Basterds,””2012,” “Crazy Heart” and”Nine” — all tied for the top spot. The movie 2012 had stunts, explosions, aircraft scenes, underwater filming and other risks; Crazy Heart involved a hot-air balloon crash, a car rollover, a boat sequence; Inglorious Basterds involved stunts, fights and pyrotechnics; Nine featured high-wire sequences and had a number of claims related to dancing.

2008: “The Wrestler” — the film starring Mickey Rourke involves folding chairs, ladders, staple guns, pole dancing and, well, wrestling.

2007:”Into the Wild” — This outdoorsy adventure film involved transporting equipment to various locations from Utah to Montana, Arizona and Alaska. Scenes included cliff shots and rocky ledges in the mountains along with whitewater rapids, which were dangerous to the cast and crew. The use of bears was dangerous, too.

Re-posted from The Hartford Courant.

Read the rest...]]> The company that popularized the art of shooting with a DSLR is about to release the next evolution in digital cinematography.

Last week, Canon (NYSE: CAJ) unveiled the C300, a new camera designed specifically for high-end filmmakers. Due for release in January at a price of $20K, the C300 comes with a “super 35MM-equivalent 16:9 large CMOS sensor” that shoots 4K images (or not, depending on who you talk to). Thus far, the initial test videos have been very impressive.

This announcement came just as RED announced the final plans and pricing for its long-awaited Scarlet camera, a smaller, less expensive alternative to its previous offerings. Scarlet will retail for just under $10,000 (camera body only), but you can get a ready-to-shoot model for roughly $15,000.

At first glance, Scarlet might sound like the better deal. But RED cameras typically require a bunch of expensive extras. That’s part of the company’s strategy; lure filmmakers with a low base price and hit their pockets later with a plethora of expensive add-ons. While Canon could be planning a similar strategy (ex: you’ll still have to buy the lenses and other equipment separately, but that’s true of most film cameras), the company has one significant advantage over its competitors: filmmakers are already fans of the format.

Over the past couple of years, indie filmmakers and commercial producers alike have been investing heavily in Canon’s top-tier line of DSLRs. Cameras like the 5D Mark II, 7D, 60D, and even lower-end models like the Rebel T2i were all built for shooting stills. But with the ability to shoot gorgeous 1080 video, these cameras have become the new favorite among filmmakers on a budget. Not only are they cheaper than traditional HD cameras, but they accept a plethora of Canon lenses without the need for a special adaptor. The same cannot be said for the average video-specific camera.

When these filmmakers grow beyond their indie status, where are they most likely to turn? In the past, they’d go to RED, Sony (NYSE: SNE), or some other manufacturer. Not anymore. Now they have a high-end option that’s compact, fairly lightweight, and is very similar to the DSLRs they have already been using.

Missed Opportunity

While the world of digital cinema is still evolving, Sony is arguably the most influential company in this field. For the final Star Wars prequel, George Lucas reportedly paid Sony $1 million each for a series of custom-made HD cameras. If true, this would explain why Episode III’s images – shot entirely in high-definition – are indistinguishable from the previous Star Wars prequels, which were shot partially on film. In fact, Episode III is the only movie I have ever seen whose picture quality is on par with traditional film.

Theoretically, other Hollywood filmmakers should have been eager to order their own custom cameras from Sony. But they didn’t. They looked for cheaper alternatives, hence the success of the RED One. Unfortunately for moviegoers, this means that digital-only movies tend to look much worse than those that were shot on film.

Sony had a stellar opportunity here to step in with a lower-cost model and take control of the market, but it completely missed the boat. The company has been taking losses in nearly every division. If RED holds onto its market position, and if Canon takes another chunk of the market, where will that leave Sony? Right now, the cheapest professional, high-def camera that Sony makes retails for nearly $17,000. Though its most expensive listed camera is $100K, Sony won’t even provide a price for models that go higher, simply saying, “Pricing available upon request.”

Taking Control

With little to no competition in the DSLR market, and very little competition outside of RED, Canon is in a very good position right now.

Traders – before diving into the action items, let’s go over the key points of Canon’s newest camera:

• In addition to beating the RED One at its own game, the C300 undercuts the release of Scarlet, RED’s long-awaited low-cost alternative (at twice the price, mind you).
• More importantly, the C300 gives tomorrow’s filmmakers a superior upgrade option when they move beyond their low-cost indie roots.
• The transition from the 5D Mark II to C300 should be fairly seamless.
• The compact size makes it insanely versatile.
• Unless Scarlet proves to be a vastly superior camera, the C300 is likely to take over this area of the market.
• Expect smaller and cost-cutting studios to be the earliest adopters of the C300. Look for a few heavy hitters in Hollywood to experiment with the format.
• This could easily become a prominent player in commercial development (an area where Canon’s existing cameras already excel).
• The C300 could become a leader in television production as well.

That said, there are a couple of other things to remember:

* To be clear, this is not the end of film.
* This isn’t the end for RED either.
* It is, however, the beginning of a new era of filmmaking that will pave the way for additional cameras from Canon, which will push the boundaries even further.

ACTION ITEMS:

Bullish:

If you believe in the future of Canon’s new cinematography offering, then consider these trades:

• If Canon wins by selling smaller, lighter, and lower-cost cameras, so will Hollywood. From big studios like Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Lions Gate (NYSE: LGF) to Paramount (NYSE: VIA) and the Comcast-owned (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Universal Pictures, studios can always benefit from lower costs.
• Fox, the News Corp.-owned (NASDAQ: NWSA) TV network, is already a fan of Canon’s DSLR format, shooting an entire episode of House with the 5D Mark II. Expect at least one new Fox pilot to use the C300 in the 2012 or 2013 season.

Bearish:

Are DSLRs just a fad? Will the larger, more traditional cameras continue to reign supreme? If you have concerns about the C300, consider these alternatives:

• If bigger, bulkier and more expensive cameras are what filmmakers want, Sony can provide them.
• Panasonic (NYSE: PC ) might pose a greater threat, particularly if 3D filmmaking continues to grow. Panasonic has been experimenting with several smaller, cheaper, 3D-capable still and video cameras (on the pro and consumer level) that could stifle Canon’s efforts.

Re-posted from Forbes.

Read the rest...]]> Veteran actor Robert Hardy has revealed that he was written out of the Harry Potter film series because, at 85, the cost of life insurance for him became too expensive.

Mr Hardy told an audience at the Cheltenham Literature Festival yesterday that movie giants Warner Brothers refused to pay an insurance bill of £1million to cover him after he’d played Cornelius Fudge from the Ministry of Magic in four of the films.

‘I was kicked out in the end because I was just too expensive,’ he said. ‘It was great fun while it lasted, the boys and girls were all absolutely splendid.

The actor starred as the bumbling wizard in Harry Potter films Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix.

But he did not appear in the following three installments.

But the resigned actor – famous for his roles in TV series such as 1978′s All Creatures Great and Small – said: ‘I had a ball fooling around with old friends like Maggie Smith.

‘Thanks to those films I get the most extraordinary amount of fan mail from all over the world, even China.’

Tickets are due to go on sale this Thursday for the Harry Potter tour, in which fascinated Muggles will get to see how the magic happens behind the scenes.

Fans will be able to walk through the magnificent Great Hall, snoop around in headmaster Dumbledore’s office, and meet some of the fantastical creatures seen in the films.

The three-hour tour at Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden will open in spring 2012.

It will be some comfort to fans left bereft at the end of the wildly popular franchise – with all seven books and films now.

Re-posted from Daily Mail.

Read the rest...]]> Israel is pushing for more authenticity in Hollywood films.

Because of the country’s volatile political environment, movies which feature Jesus’ crucifixion are often filmed in Italy while Morocco takes place for the Holy Land.

But now, Israeli officials are dangling better tax breaks, terror attack insurance and credits of up to $400,000 to try and coax international movie producers to film in Jerusalem, reports the Associated Press.

“It’s absurd. Movies set in Jerusalem are filmed in Malta, Morocco and Greece,” said Yoram Honig, an Israeli film director who heads the Jerusalem Film Fund, which was set up three years ago to encourage more moviemaking in the city.

In the 1980, the country was a popular filming spot, with movies like Rambo 3 and The Delta Force being shot there. But, because it is currently common for international insurance companies to refuse to provide terrorism risk coverage, or offer it at an extremely high price, producers have moved on to other –less risky — overseas locations.

Israeli’s own filmmakers have also gone outside of the holy city to make movies. Out of 600 Israeli movies that have been made since the country’s founding, only 30 have been shot in Jerusalem says the AP.

Recently, World War Z shot its Jerusalem scenes in Malta, which offers large financial rebates to foreign film productions. The production even flew in Israeli actors to shoot the scenes.

Which is why the country, which set up tax breaks for foreign films in 2008, has also created a municipal insurance fund which will provide protection to productions should they be disrupted by acts of terrorism.

Tel Aviv and Haifa are also developing similar movie funds to try and bring productions to their towns.

Re-posted from The Hollywood Reporter.

Read the rest...]]> Mumbai: The stalling of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine after it became known that lead actress Aishwarya Rai was expecting has stoked a debate on introducing a pregnancy clause in film contracts. Some feel it should be there, while others like Sushmita Sen and Ram Gopal Varma oppose it.

Aishwarya’s pregnancy came as a big blow to Bhandarkar’s ambitious project and he said he was “shocked” and “depressed” after the film was put on the back burner.

“The pregnancy clause should be included. We have to save our producers also. Producers spend so much money for the shooting and suddenly if the heroine becomes pregnant, it causes a huge problem for the producer,” T.P Agarwal, president, Film Federation of India, told.

“If the actors say that in the coming two-three months the dates I have given you, I won’t be able to come then it can be excused. But for that both the parties have to be very good to each other. But the pregnancy clause should be included,” he added.

Aggarwal said the clause exists in other parts of the world.

“There (outside India) even the insurance companies ask for these details. If the shooting gets cancelled for an actor, the insurance company has to pay the loss to the producer. Here if a set gets damaged because of rain, the insurance company pays for it. So, if the heroine gets pregnant and cannot attend the shoot, then the insurance company would pay the producer for that too provided the clause is there. It’s the custom all over the world but not in India,” he added.

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi believes that a pregnancy clause is not sexist.

“Insurance companies in Hollywood insist on many clauses including no pregnancy to safeguard huge monetary investments. It’s not sexist,” she posted on her microblogging site Twitter.

Producer Ravi Agrawal of films like Sirf 24 Ghante, Radio and the under production Fever, is thinking about introducing the clause in his next project.

“There should be a pregnancy clause in the contract because each film carries a huge amount of investment. So I definitely would be thinking on those lines in my next film,” he said.

Agrawal also maintained that Bhandarkar should not lose hope and move on to some other project.

However, there are many, who are completely against pregnancy clause.

“I will never have such a clause. However, this is something absolutely between the actors and the production companies,” said filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma.

Apart from him, filmmakers like Mahesh Bhatt, Vipul Shah and Yash Chopra have spoken against the clause.

Former beauty queen and actress Sushmita Sen too opposed the clause, saying: “I can show the producer the door if he puts a clause like that. I believe that what I do outside my job is no one’s business, specially if it is something like being a mother.”

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said he doesn’t believe in such clauses and that “films are like live surprises, few things happen…I don’t believe in clauses and contracts”.

Malaika Arora Khan said: “I really don’t know how much it is going to work and what is going to come out. I think understanding has to be there. I remember when I had my child, I was with MTV at that point and I had a great working relationship. When I got to know about my pregnancy, I informed them and they were very gracious about it and they let me take my breaks. They gave me the option to come back to work post that. And I think it should be an understanding of sorts. At the end of the day, it is about how professional you are.”

Re-posted from IBN Live.

Read the rest...]]> [Reader Ankur Kapoor is an engineer turned independent film maker from Chandigarh. He is 25 and has been making animations, documentaries and short films for the past 4 years. In this article, he narrates his first shooting experience with a DSLR camera.]

The 48 Hour Project:
It was a Friday afternoon in November. I had registered for the Mumbai 48 Hour Film Project, 2010 a few months in advance. According to the project rules, we had to make a 4-7 minute short film using 3 given parameters, which included a prop, a character and a line of dialogue. Then each team had to pick a genre and finish the film and submit it in the given 48 hours.

Shooting and Editing:
The next morning, our team had a script ready to work with. Now that I knew what I had to shoot, I knew a simple camcorder would not do justice to the whole project. I had earlier never made a film on a DSLR, but had seen quite a few videos online and knew what was required for this one, considering the look I wanted. So, I then rang up a friend who owned a DSLR, a Canon 550D and called him aboard to help us.

Firstly, we needed to decide what resolution we wanted to shoot at. It was clear to us that the medium our film will be primarily showcased on would be either on DVDs at film festivals or the internet. So, we decided to shoot it at 720p @ 60 fps. Interestingly, 60 fps opens up a really good option of slowing down the footage substantially and considering the kind of narrative and music we had, it was the best decision and we came to realize that while editing. The footage could almost be slowed down to a fifth of its original speed and makes for really interesting viewing once edited. Another thing I come to notice about 60fps is the smoothness of the video. Since our eyes and brain can process images faster than 24 fps, the 60 fps footage looks very lifelike, seems to have less artificial effects and looks more continuous as compared to the standard 24,25 and 30 fps. Probably that’s the reason Peter Jackson is shooting ‘The Hobbit’ at 50 fps!

Most of our film was shot with a Canon 50 mm lens and the wide aperture helped a great deal in getting the indoor shots to look good even without any artificial lights. For most part, we were able to shoot at ISO speeds 100/200 which was great for clarity. We had to take some shots in diminished light towards the evening due to time constraints and we ended up moving the ISO speeds to as high as 800, still the footage held up pretty well and had acceptable noise levels for a web and DVD audience! However, I think if someone is aiming at a theatrical or a Blu-Ray release, ISO speeds above 200 might just be suicidal.

The shallow depth at wide apertures is superb and it makes the footage look more film-like. We pretty much shot the whole film with aperture fully open and hence the jumpy focus/defocus at times, which we found acceptable, though controlling the focus manually is not the best aspect of DSLR film-making. At times, it becomes an issue due to the lack of a continuous auto-focus in most DSLR cameras. We did manage to pull off most of the shots with manually shifting the focus, though it was not perfect, but looked just about fine. But there will always be some shots which cannot be shot in that way, specially if you are shooting with the camera without any accessories and you will feel a need for a continuous auto-focus. For such shots, probably 2-3 of them are there in this film as well, I suggest always keeping a secondary camera handy, which might be a FULL HD camcorder. I had a Canon Vixia HF10 which shoots AVCHD 1080p and with a little bit of post work, you can blend the footage easily and nobody gets to know.

The LCD on the 550D is a bit of a problem if you are used to the rotating displays of camcorders and there were issues in shooting some low and high angles. (Well, I now own a Canon 60D which has an articulating screen and is brilliant to shoot with and gives pretty much the same quality as a 7D/5D which is superb.)

Another little issue we faced due to continuous shooting towards the end of the day was over-heating on the camera and it did show overheat warnings and we had to stop shooting and cool it down for a few minutes before we could start again. In a less demanding shooting schedule, I think such problems would be rare and I have not faced anything like this on any shoot since.

About the sound, since we did not have any dedicated sound equipment or the time to dub, we used the in-camera sound and were pretty satisfied with the decent output we got in the time we had.

Another aspect of shooting with a DSLR I love as compared to some pro-cameras is that it is compact and helps in getting a lot of unplanned candid shots you might just miss out if you have a bigger, meaner looking camera! The fact that you look like you’re just clicking a photograph also makes it my favorite documentary camera as it conceals what you’re actually doing to the average person you meet on the road.

Back to topic, it was time to edit. DSLR footage is very smooth to edit. I earlier used to have a AVCHD camcorder and its footage was a real pain to edit as the codec is not very optimized even if you have a powerful machine. In comparison, the DSLR footage is smooth, has great color depth (though not as good as RAW), and is perfect to obtain any look or tone if you know how to color correct. I did a few color isolation shots to get the feel right and the footage held up pretty good. We finished the edit by noon on Sunday and finally were able to finish and submit on time, all thanks to the smooth DSLR workflow.

Later on:
‘Blades of Grass’ went on to win ‘Best Cinematography’ at the Mumbai 48 Hour Film Festival held a week later and we were really ecstatic at this achievement, this being our first DSLR film. The film later had screenings at International Film Festival of India, Goa; Jaipur International Film Festival, Jaipur; International Film Festival of India, Chennai; BYOFF, Puri and Himachal Film Festival, Shimla and was widely appreciated everywhere! Here’s a link to the film, ‘Blades of Grass’ – http://youtu.be/tCSYL4xgcUw

Recent developments in the world of DSLR film making which has seen feature length films like Qaushiq Mukherjee’s ‘Gandu’ and Amole Gupte’s ‘Stanley ka Dabba’ being produced are really inspiring and I am now looking forward to work on a longer script with a DSLR. All thanks to the technology, the independent film maker now has the power to tell stories the way they see them!

Re-posted from Dear Cinema.

Read the rest...]]> Executives at Saturday’s Produced By Conference urge producers to be cautious when committing to making a movie in anyplace that offers incentives.

Only a year ago the race among states and countries to lure film and TV productions was picking up steam, with one locale after another offering tax incentives and rebates.

Then the economic crisis and an election that brought in more conservative governments in many states began to change things. So at a discussion on Saturday at the Produced By Conference in Burbank, the mood was very different.

“We all knew it was going to be a challenging year,” says Mary Anne Hughes of Disney, noting the changes in the laws in many states, lower caps on spending in some and programs canceled in others.

As a result there are three things that filmmakers need to be aware of before they commit to making a movie anyplace that offers incentives, says Joseph Chianese, senior vp of Entertainment Partners: “Certainty in the law (in that locale). Certainty in the procedures (as to how the incentive programs are administered). And certainty in funding (making sure the money to pay incentives is really available).

In that context, says Hughes, “we need to rethink what the word ‘certainty’ really means.”

There have been seminars on tax incentives for movie production at the Produced By Conference in past years, but this was different. For the first time the conference was held in tandem with the Association of Film Commissioners International, so the audience was packed with as many film commissioners from around the world as it was with producers.

While some places like Mississippi, Utah, Maryland and Puerto Rico have improved their incentives in the past year, others like Iowa, Arizona and New Jersey have reduced or eliminated programs; and still others like Michigan, Florida, Washington State and New Mexico had seen new governors or legislators put a cap on expenditures lower than what was spent in recent years.

There was even a discussion about producers buying insurance policies that guaranteed the incentives they were promised when they initiated a production would actually be there and be paid at the end. “A year ago it is something we didn’t worry about,” says Hughes, “but now we have to re-think that.”

One panelist told the story of New Jersey, where the incentives were phased out so suddenly, at least four productions are now left unable to collect on the money they expected back from the state.

Many more foreign countries now offer incentives, from Ireland to Italy to the Dominican Republic. But in one of the most popular locations, the United Kingdom, it was also a year of change.

In the past year the U.K. Film Council was phased out, even though the program has been a success in terms of raising revenue. However, said a representative from the British commission, they have been able to move most of the programs into other government homes and are hopeful incentives will continue. There is a review going on right now.

Re-posted from Hollywood Reporter.

Read the rest...]]> GOTHAM IN PROGRESS, a two-day market event targeted at American independents and European buyers will take place in the scope of American Film Festival in Wrocław, in the south-west Poland, in November. An initiative by New York and Paris based Black Rabbit Film is co-organized by New Horizons Association (organizer of the AFF, and the largest Poland’s International Film Festival – Era New Horizons FF) with the support of City of Wrocław and Polish Film Institute.

GOTHAM IN PROGRESS is the first industry event devoted to US-indies in Europe.

GOTHAM IN PROGRESS’ main focus is on the completion and European distribution of American indie feature films at the post-production stage.

The organizers believe that even though there is a great artistic and cultural potential in American indie movies very few find their way to European audiences. We think that improving the presence of those works in European markets would lead first to a better comprehension of the diversity and wealth of the American culture and people and then to a deeper intercultural dialogue between Europe and the USA.

The objective of GOTHAM IN PROGRESS is to gather European buyers and professionals (distributors, sales agents, festival managers, etc.) in order to expose them to a selection of American independent feature films at the post-production stage.

This get-together will offer US independent feature films marked by the stamp of singularity and independence the opportunity to exist at European festivals and European cinemas through meetings with movie professionals. Members of the different links in the chain leading to the release of these films will be invited to discover them in ideal conditions with the objective to make a decisive contribution towards the success of these projects. The organizers offer a place of direct exchange with professionals as the stepping stone towards reaching new audiences.

The event will take form of two days of intense exclusive screenings (behind closed doors, for the registered guests only) and one-to-one meetings on November 17-19, 2011.

We aim to invite 30 key figures in European acquisition business and offer flights and luxurious hotel in the historical city of Wrocław for 10 producers and/or filmmakers from the US who wish to present their projects in the near-to-completion stage (feature length).

Besides GIP will present a number of works-in-progress as 20-minutes presentations.

Besides the deals resulting from the meetings our sponsors XDC and Studio l’Equipe offer post-production services to the best projects of GIP.

Deadline for entries is September 15. The projects accepted and a list of buyers/co-producers present will be announced October 1,, 2011 on www.americanfilmfestival.pl and www.blackrabbitfilm.com.

Contact:
Adeline Monzier/ Isabelle Obadia
info@brfilm.com
or Ula Sniegowska, AFF Director of Programming
ula@snh.org.pl
+48 602 316 900

Besides, the second edition of American Film Festival to take place in Wrocław on November 15-20 – the only film event in Central Europe focused on American cinema – will include two competitive sections for narrative and documentary features premiering in Poland (with audience awards of cash prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively) and retrospectives of (Polish-born) Billy Wilder and Joe Swanberg – a prolific talent of mumblecore.

Contact:
Ula Sniegowska, AFF Director of Programming
ula@snh.org.pl
+48 602 316 900

Re-posted from Blog-o-STIFF