All Panels/Workshops take place on:
Sunday, October 20th, 2024 on the 6th Floor
(Theaters 23, 24 & 25)
The Writer’s Room Workshop
Presented by Chapman University
9:30AM - 11:00AM - THEATER 23
Description:
Ever wondered what it's like to be in the room where it happens? Step inside the Writers' Room, where stories come to life and every line counts. How does it all work? Who is the Showrunner, and what kind of creative genius do they possess to shape an entire show? Now’s your chance to find out! Take a seat at the table, bring your ideas, create unforgettable characters, and craft your own scene alongside a veteran comedy writer. Are you ready to dive into the action? The Writers' Room is waiting for you!
Presented by:
Jill Condon
A 20-year veteran of television comedy, Condon started her career as an intern on The Cosby Show while attending New York University. Her writing credits include Ned & Stacey, Friends, Grounded for Life and Raising Hope.
Her Friends episode “The One With the Embryos” is ranked No.1 in Vanity Fair’s 25 Perfect TV Episodes From the Last 25 Years.
Pilots include The Glamorous Life, the scripted spin-off of America’s Next Top Model for Tyra Banks. Feature Film credits include Malcolm in the Middle, The Movie.
“How to Talk to Strangers: Making the Most Out of Your Documentary Interview” Workshop
Presented by Elon University
9:30AM - 11:00AM - THEATER 24
Description:
No matter who is in front of the camera, you need to create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their story with you and with the world. This workshop will cover ways to prepare and conduct ethical and productive interviews that can be a solid foundation for your projects. There will be time for you to share your own interview challenges and successes to receive feedback and advice.
Presented by:
Nicole Triche
Nicole Triche, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema & Television Arts at Elon University where she also directs the elondocs Production Program. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose short films have screened nationally and internationally at various film festivals including Full Frame, Atlanta Film Festival, Milwaukee Film Festival, and Dublin DocFest. She also serves as a board member for the Southern Documentary Fund.
Prior to joining Elon University, Triche was an associate producer at PBS North Carolina, where she produced the independent film series North Carolina Visions.
“Pursuing Your Dreams While Paying Your Bills” Workshop
Presented by Drexel University
9:30AM - 11:00AM - THEATER 25
Description:
Many young people and their parents feel conflicted about the risks and rewards of pursuing their dreams. This workshop is meant to give advice on working toward those aspirations, while building the life you want in conjunction with your career. This discussion is not only meant for writers or directors, but anyone interested in film or television as cinematographers including producers, editors, sound recordists, and visual effects artists.
Presented by:
Tom Quinn
Tom Quinn is a Gotham and Independent Spirit Award nominee for his debut film, THE NEW YEAR PARADE, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance and screened at festivals and venues including SXSW and MOMA. Tom was listed one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by FILMMAKER MAGAZINE and one of the Ten Young Writer-Directors to Watch by MOVIEMAKER. He was a VFX producer and coordinator on films including LAWLESS (John Hillcoat), SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED (Colin Trevorrow), and LET ME IN (Matt Reeves). His most recent film, COLEWELL, was developed with support from the Biennale College, IFP, the San Francisco Film Society, and The Sundance Institute before premiering at the San Francisco International Film Festival. The film received two Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best Lead Actress for Karen Allen (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK). COLEWELL is currently on Paramount+. Tom is an associate professor for the Film & Television program at Drexel University, where he teaches Narrative Film, Basic Directing, Scene Analysis, Micro Budget Filmmaking, Career Prep and runs the Alumni Feature Film Club, which supports aspiring filmmakers after graduation.
“DIRECTING IS 95% CASTING”: Approaching Auditions With Fresh Eyes and Open Minds Workshop
Presented by Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
11:15AM - 12:45PM - THEATER 23
Description:
Ready to break out of the box and broaden your thinking about casting? In this workshop, we’ll explore reaching beyond caricature and towards true character, cultivating an eye for the idiosyncratic, casting a net for the genuine article and fearing actors less in order to forge deeper and more meaningful collaborative relationships out the gate.
Presented by:
Shawn Snyder
Writer/Director and Assistant Professor of Filmmaking
Rutgers Filmmaking Center
Mason Gross School of the Arts
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Shawn Snyder is an award-winning writer/director and a tenure-track Professor of Filmmaking at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts. In 2016, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” His first feature, TO DUST, starring Matthew Broderick and Géza Röhrig, premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the “Narrative Audience Award” and Shawn received the award for “Best New Narrative Director.” The film was released theatrically in North America in early 2019 by Good Deed Entertainment and distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Worldwide. It went on to be nominated for “Best Screenplay” at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards. Shawn has an undergraduate degree in religion from Harvard College and spent his twenties on the road as a traveling singer-songwriter. He has always had a passion for teaching and delights in exploring the medium of filmmaking across age groups and settings - before joining the faculty at Rutgers, Shawn worked with high school students at the Brooklyn-based non-profit Reel Works and as an adjunct professor in the Graduate Film Program at NYU.
“Getting Started in the Film Industry” Workshop
Presented by Temple University
11:15AM - 12:45PM - THEATER 24
Presented by:
Sushma Khadepaun
Sushma Khadepaun is an Indian-born writer and director based in New York. She was listed as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film (2021), and most recently was a Fellow at the Film at Lincoln Center’s Artist Academy. Her films have played at major film festivals including Venice, Stockholm, Atlanta, Palm Springs, and others. Her work has been featured on NPR, BOMB Magazine, Focus Features Digital, France TV and Canal Plus, among others.
Sushma is currently developing her first feature film, Anita, with support from SFFilm, Sundance, Film Independent, and Gotham.
Along with her professional practice, Sushma is an Assistant Professor at Temple University. She has previously taught at Columbia, Barnard, VCU, and online at Sundance Collab.
“A Masterclass in Constructing a Scene in the Editing Suite” Workshop
Presented by Florida State University
11:15AM - 12:45PM - THEATER 25
Description:
In this master class, participants will dive into the art of constructing a scene in the editing suite. The class will cover key elements to look for when shaping a scene, including pacing, rhythm, emotional beats, and visual continuity. The class will also explore techniques for maintaining story flow and coherence, helping editors make choices that elevate both individual scenes and the overall story.
Presented by:
Max Allman
Max Allman is a filmmaker and editor from down south, currently based in Brooklyn.
He recently completed work as the editor, co-writer, and co-executive producer on REN FAIRE, a 3-part documentary fantasia from HBO and Elara Pictures. More recently, he is an executive producer on As We Speak, a documentary on hip-hop and the criminal justice system, that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Before that, he edited jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, a documentary film series about Kanye West for Netflix that was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Series at the 2022 Emmys. He also edited, co-wrote, and co-produced Socks On Fire, winner of Best Documentary Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and 2020 IDA Award Nominee for Best Writing. He is currently in post-production on an immersive nonfiction documentary film with Artists Equity and To Be Formed Corp.
"Lights, Camera, Career: Unveiling the Magic of Independent Movie Producing" Workshop
Presented by Huntington University
1:00PM - 2:30PM - THEATER 23
Description:
Making movies is about taking your ideas and turning them into a film production. Come here about the exciting journey from producing college award winning short films to SAG AFTRA independent cinema with Dr. Lance Clark who has produced over 150 short films and two Indy features. This session is for aspiring young filmmakers who want to learn more about the world of movie production. In this illuminating event, participants will embark on a cinematic journey that takes you behind the producing curtain and delves into the behind-the-scenes magic that brings story ideas to life. Through engaging discussions and real-world insights attendees will gain a working knowledge of script development, budgeting, casting, and the intricate art of making a movie from concept to completion. Whether you dream of producing your own films or simply want to discover the enchanting intricacies of the film industry, this workshop promises to ignite your passion and help you dream about your future in the industry.
Presenter:
Dr. Lance Clark
Dr. Lance Clark has produced television commercials, corporate videos, and overseas mission documentaries in Asia, Central America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. He has also served as Executive Producer over 120 student films many of which have gone on to screen in festivals and win top awards. In 2016, his film “The Gift of Hope” took national honors as a Best in Show Faculty film at the BEA’s King Foundation Festival of Media Arts. In 2022, he helped launch Huntington University's feature film company Forester Film that produced the award winning feature film A Carpenter’s Prayer that screened nationally in over 67 theaters and 21 states and is now available online. Clark also runs his own media production company LC Media, Inc. where he hires current students and alumni as crew. He specializes in nonprofit and corporate media storytelling. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Clark serves as the Dean of the Arts helping to give academic oversight to the various programs in our School of the Arts both in Huntington and our Arizona Center for the Arts.
“Cinematography: Framing and Composition” Workshop
Presented by Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University
1:00PM - 2:30PM - THEATER 24
Description:
How the elements on screen are arranged and where your eyes go when you encounter an image - moving or otherwise - and how these visual elements convey an intended message.
Presented by:
George P. Nicholas
Associate Professor of Radio, Television, Film
George Nicholas is an award-winning New York - based filmmaker and director of photography. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to first-generation Greek immigrants, picked up his father's love for photography at age 7, and wrote and directed his first play at 11. He studied drama at the University of Texas, Arlington and was a founding cast member of the Dallas chapter of ComedySportz.
He moved to NYC in 1998, worked as a sound technician for Off-Broadway Theater and as a roadie, working with bands like the Rolling Stones, before moving a bit north to attend the Conservatory of Film at the State University of New York at Purchase, where he graduated with a BFA in Film Production. He has worked as a cinematographer professionally since 1992, and his work has been shown worldwide in festivals and on the air.
George has produced and directed music videos, including Elizabeth Cook's "Sunday Morning," which aired on VH-1, GAC, and CMT. His 2004 short film, "Exact Fare," won the CINE Golden Eagle Award, and his experimental documentary film, "Antigone" won the Nostimon Imar Award (for films of the Greek/Cypriot diaspora) at its premiere at the 2017 Cyprus International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary at the Kerry International Film Festival in Killarney, Ireland and Best Experimental at the West Chester Film Festival. His next film, an animated short, “Smoke n Suds”, recently completed a successful festival run, including two screenings at the Raindance International Film Festival, as well as winning a Bronze Remy at the Houston International Film Festival. His most recent film, NOSTOS, which he directed and produced, has just started its festival run, and will be premiering at the Tacoma Film Festival on October 11th. George briefly returned to theater in 2021, designing the lighting and sound for “Onassis,” Anthony Skordi’s one-man show about Aristotle Onassis, which ran Off Broadway at New York’s historic American Theatre of Actors after previewing in Atlanta, Georgia. He then designed the lighting for Nicholas Kennedy’s “Jean Jackets and Red Pandas” at Trinity Theater.
He is currently an Associate Professor of Radio, Television, Film at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and prior to that taught at and was the Technical Director of Film and New Media at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. He resides in Mamaroneck, New York with his wife, Marie, their son Peter, and three lovely cats. He is a bassist and vocalist for the The Quarter Moon and occasionally performs stand-up comedy.
“How to Craft Compelling Characters for Your Films”
Presented by Southern Methodist University
1:00PM - 2:30PM - THEATER 25
Description:
After brief introductions the presenters will put forth the importance of developing multidimensional characters to hook audiences, guide them through a film, compel the viewers to care about what happens in the story and add to the authenticity of the film.
To that end, presenters will provide attendees with a questionnaire, asking them to complete it, to assist each student in creating a main character for a film. The questionnaire will be based on Lajos Egri’s Bone Structure of a character.
Once students have completed the questionnaires, they will be asked to write a brief back story for the character that they’ve created (no more than a single page), focusing on a pivotal moment in the character’s life, a relationship that is very important to the character that she/he/they may or may not be happy in as well as information about something that the character wants but is finding very difficult to attain.
Amber Bemak
Amber Bemak is a filmmaker, artist, and educator whose creative practice is based in experimental and documentary film. She often works cinematically and performatively with her own body to represent different symbolic cultural codes and structures of power. She is a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow. Her work has been seen at venues including the Brooklyn Museum, the Rubin Museum of Art, SculptureCenter, the Schwules Museum, and the Tamayo Museum. Festivals include Oberhausen, BAMcinemafest, Ann Arbor, DocLisboa, BFI London Film Festival, Morelia, and the European Media Art Festival. She has taught film theory and practice in India, Nepal, Kenya, Mexico, and the United States.
Michelle Glasby-Millington
Michelle Glasby-Millington is a screenwriter, educator, producer, children’s book author and media professional. Her creative work centers on women, the African diaspora, her native South Louisiana and often the supernatural. After living and teaching on the Caribbean island of Barbados for nine years, her most recent work is greatly influenced by the stories of migrants from around the world. She has taught screenwriting, producing, film production and film studies in universities and workshops throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Her work has been included in the Belize Film Festival and the World Independent Cinema Awards and Film Festival (Milan, Italy).