Film Panels

Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, and Jody Hill / Photo: Greg Brooks

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SXSW Film Panels gather together groups of industry experts for a lively moderated discussion, culminating in an impassioned Q&A. Subjects can be anything from specific films, to new technologies, to festival how-tos. They're a great way to absorb a wide range of knowledge, opinions and issues, with ample opportunity for audience participation.

Anatomy of a Release: From Conception through Exhibition
Todd Sklar, Range Life Entertainment
This interactive panel will explore the dynamics of a film's release process. Taking a hypothetical approach, the session will investigate each step, from development through exhibition, with insight provided by key industry figures.

Cash Flow Workflow: Funding Docs From Start to Finish
David Modigliani, Live Action Projects
How can you efficiently utilize the various funding options available to fit you production schedule? From grants to contributions, pre-sales to investment, what makes for effective fundraising -- and how can you make a living along the way?

Cinematography for Improvised Films: Lighting the Unknown
Paul Harrill, Self-Reliant Films
How does a cinematographer extract killer visuals from little or no script? What about live, uncontrolled locations? Free-roaming actors with little regard for "hitting their light"? This workshop explores the unpredictable, unique challenges of shooting improvised cinema.

Fans, Friends & Followers: Creating Your Own Cult (of the non-apocalyptic variety)
Scott Kirsner, CinemaTech
Finding an audience has become a necessary skill in the committed filmmaker's arsenal. With carefully selected of real-world examples, this panel will look at how filmmakers have successfully cultivated an audience for their work -- people who will spread the word, show up for screenings, and buy the DVD or digital download.

Festival Strategies for Independent Film
Jane Schoettle, Toronto International Film Festival
Creating a festival strategy for your film is arguably the most important set of decisions you will make to ensure the success of launching your hard work onto the world stage. The world premiere of your film is one of the most important leveraging tools you have to negotiate a successful path through the maze of international events you have to choose from.

First Impressions: The Art of Main Title Design
Karin Fong, Imaginary Forces
A strong title sequence can yield some of a filmÕs most memorable images, allowing its themes to linger long after the lights go up. This presentation will explore the process of creating such sequences, using case studies from experiences with both studio and independent projects.

Five Fatal F*ckups: The Biggest Legal Mistakes Every Indie Producer Makes
Steve Monas, Business Affairs, Inc.
What does every indie filmmaker consistently screw up? Not the script, the budget, the schedule or the marketing; it's the Legal Stuff! Meet the Five Fatals, so you can avoid them in the future.

Floating Heads are Dead: Why Traditional Posters Suck
Tiffany Pritchard, All City Media
Why do studios still rely on the star power of 'floating heads' to sell their film product? Discover the value of a simple, iconic, original poster campaign. With limited stills available to the average indie or documentary, it can mean the difference between success and failure. Find out how less can be more!

Nobody Wants to Watch Your Film: Realities of Online Film Distribution
Efe Cakarel, The Auteurs
Every respectable film festival these days has a panel talking about online film distribution and increasingly these panels end up in disputes between websites promoting their services and film distributors frustrated at their online revenues. At the same time everyone seems to agree that digital distribution is the future. So what's taking so long?

Reel To Reality: How Good Film Does Good
Aaron Bramley, Lights. Camera. Help.
The films-for-a-cause genre is rapidly gaining traction as non-profits and cause-driven organizations turn to new media to tell their stories. Panelists will provide tips, tricks, resources and advice to filmmakers, non-profits, novices and grassroots organizations looking to spread their message with film and video.

Remix Goes Mainstream: Making Mashups Pay
Pat Aufderheide, The Center for Social Media
Remix, mashup, compilation, clip job, footage art: it's what doc filmmakers and online video artists doÑfrom 102 Minutes that Changed America to Moral Kombat to Los Angeles Plays Itself to Buffy v. Edward. But how do they make money, get distribution and stay legal? Learn here!

SAG, DGA & WGA: Getting to Know the Guilds
Kay Schaber Wolf, WGAW
The Guilds: they're a major aspect of the mainstream film business, and if you're serious about it, there's information that you need to know. Meet representatives of Directors Guild of America (DGA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) as they investigate the different services they offer both veteran and novice filmmakers.

Short Film Secrets: Festivals, Distribution, & Getting More Work
Chris Holland, Film Festival Secrets
There's more out there for shorts than just YouTube, despite apparently limited sales and distribution avenues. Learn to make the most of festivals, the red flags that might keep you out, how to get away with breaking the rules, and what to do with that opus afterwards.

The Main Event: Finding an Audience for Your Film
Laure Parsons, X + X Films
So the music industry is in freefall, bringing speculation that live shows are the major revenue stream of the future. But what about film? Event-based screenings can bring excitement, revenue, and a place for your viewers to meet and mingle. Learn how to create events from four-walling, to multiple screenings how to make these screenings profitable, both financially and critically.

Writing a Successful Screenplay: Consider the Source
Steve Harrigan, Writer / Author
Books, comics, news stories, magazine articles, real-life events or hot public topics. This kind of "presold" source material is grist to the mill of the modern studio scriptwriter. This panel discusses the wide range of source material, how to use it, and how to write an effective adaptation that sells.

3D Steroscopic Production Tools, Production and Post
Keefe Boerner, UT RTF
With 3D cinema on the uptick again, and probably for good, you need to know how it works. From production, through post, distribution and exhibition, this panel gives you the overview on how you too can integrate Stereoscopic tools and pipelines on your next film.