Every April, over 100,000 delegates converge on the Convention Center in Las Vegas for NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), the largest electronic media convention in the world. According to John Milner of NAB, the show floors cover the equivalent of 68 football fields (800,000 square feet) to accommodate 1,400 exhibits of audio, video and moviemaking equipment. This is the show of shows for the unveiling of new equipment. This is clearly the year of high-definition video (HDV). Although JVC introduced a single-chip HDV camera, the GR-HD1, at NAB 2003, soon followed by a prosumer
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Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 3 through August 30 in New York City and Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films™the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far. So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Nelson Cheng, director/producer of The Magic Life. Synopsis: Three aspiring individuals try to turn their passion into a career. Can
The 27th annual IDA Documentary Awards will take place December 7, 2012.
If you're thinking of applying to the Cal Humanities California Documentary Project Grant, it's time to get started! Check out their upcoming informational grant workshops in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles, or take advantage of the webinar on Tuesday, August 28th from 10:30am - noon. We'll be at the Los Angeles workshop on September 5th so if you're there make sure to say hello! The grant deadline is October 1, 2012 at 5pm. Learn more>>
Former IDA Board President earned IDA Pioneer Award in 2003
In an IDA interview with filmmaker Linda Goldstein Knowlton, she discusses the making of her most recent film, Somewhere Between. Like many filmmakers over the past few years, Goldstein Knowlton used a Kickstarter campaign as part of her fundraising strategy. She shares her experience with us -- not to mention giving the Fiscal Sponsorship Program a shout out! Here is an excerpt from the interview: IDA: What was your experience like using Kickstarter to help finance your film? Linda Goldstein Knowlton: First, a huge shout-out for the IDA's Fiscal Sponsorship Program, without which I would not
Samsara is the third non-verbal film Ron Fricke and I have made, the others being Chronos (1985) and Baraka (1992). These films have taken us in total to 58 countries, and taken a combined nine years to produce, Samsara being the longest - four and a half years in the making and shot in 25 countries. We were challenged logistically, technically, artistically and physically in completing this film. "Samsara" is a Sanskrit word that can be translated broadly as the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth; another way to express it is, themes related to impermanence. We used this broad concept
When Linda Goldstein Knowlton adopted her now seven-year-old daughter, Ruby, from China, she knew that one day Ruby would have some questions that her mother might not be able to answer. As Somewhere Between begins, Goldstein Knowlton wonders, "How will I be able to help her build a strong sense of identity when there are so many missing pieces from the early parts of her life? To find those answers, I have to meet the girls who have already walked in her shoes." For three years, Goldstein Knowlton filmed four teenage girls who were adopted from China and now live in the United States, and the
"Sadly...discrimination still exists in the marketplace towards documentaries" despite how well they are reviewed by critics in a variety of well-respected newspapers and websites. Why do you think docs don't do better at the box office? Read this great article by Anthony Kaufman from the Sundance Now blog and leave your comment below! Docutopia #10: Why Are the Best Reviewed Movies Still Seen As Second-Class?
The new Drafthouse Films release The Ambassador tells the story of a foppish Danish gentleman who has quasi-legally purchased a diplomatic position to a barely-functioning central African country under the pretense of opening a match factory run by local Pygmies. But what he is really after is purchasing "blood diamonds," which he can smuggle thanks to his new diplomatic immunity. He pursues this goal while hoping he won't be found out as a fraud and quite possibly killed by either government officials, thieves or his business partners. While this sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller