Free HORROR Screenwriting Summit

This coming week (Oct. 16th-19th), you can sign up for free access to a summit on Horror screenwriting, production, and marketing. Check out the panelists and speakers at www.genresummit.com.

Free Distribution Tips Video Series

Recently I watched Film Trooper’s FREE New Adventures in In Film Distribution. It’s a three part video series discussing VOD and audience defining techniques. You can sign up for the free series here. If you’re struggling in the distribution phase of your film, and want to understand more on how to make filmmaking a profitable experience, check it out. Film Trooper also has other free guides, such as filmmaking without a crew and tips for low-budget filmmaking. Filmmaker and host Scott McMahon has several “Film Marketing Friday” videos on his YouTube channel that are worth checking out.  Visit filmtrooper.com for these free gifts!

 

 

FREE Screenwriting Summit

For one more day (TODAY!), there’s free access to the screenwriting summit hosted by The Script Lab. If you sign up in time, you’ll still have access to many free interviews with studio executives, tv and film writers, managers, producers and festival coordinators! Get it while it’s free!

summit.thescriptlab.com

thescriptlab.com

Daily Dose of Inspiration

Soak in this great advice from the Ira Glass’ “Storytelling Series”, illustrated with visuals from the up-and-coming filmmaker Daniel Sax.  I often have trouble with work matching up with my ambitions, but this offers some inspiration to get through “the Gap”.

vimeo.com/85040589

FREE MOOC: Iversity’s “Idea Generation Methods”

If you’re looking for some inspiration for generating innovative ideas for your films, perhaps Iversity’s new MOOC on “Idea Generation” might be a great resource for you.  This free course started this week, and it’s not to late to join in.  It’s hosted by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and KIC InnoEnergy and it “aims to explain techniques for the goal and process oriented generation of ideas.”  For more information and to register for the course, visit iversity.org.

FREE Moviola Webinar: “HOW TO FIND YOUR DOCUMENTARY’S STORY”

Today, Moviola is offering a free Throwback Thursday webinar on Documentary Filmmaking.  Story is essential to a great doc, and host Andrew Zinnes will guide you through tips for finding a great story and seeing it through the research and production phases.  This webinar is free today for 24 hours (starting at 12:00 am PDT).  For more information and to register for the event, visit moviola.com.

FREE MOOC: Digital and Social Media Marketing

Marketing has become extremely important for independent filmmakers, and digital marketing can be a great start to engaging an audience.  If you’d like to learn more or brush up on your digital marketing skills, starting September 28th, Iversity is offering a free MOOC on Digital Marketing.  The course is hosted by Dr. Alexsej Heinze of Salford Business School, and it uniquely offers the research and perspectives of five different European countries.  The three basic principles of the course are understanding long-term planning, day-to-day digital operations, and continuously improving marketing activities.  For a more detailed course syllabus, or to enroll in this course for free, visit iversity.org.

A Not So Happy Birthday

Hopefully we’ll soon hear a verdict on the “Happy Birthday” lawsuit, but in the meantime, let’s enjoy the creative alternatives Warner/Chappell has inspired us to create:

The right to use the “Happy Birthday” song for free in future projects is definitely something IndieLIBRE is rooting for and hopes to post about again soon.  If you haven’t been following the case, here’s a great introduction created by director Jenn Nelson, who is currently in the legal battle.

You can also click here to read The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times coverage of the lawsuit.

(Birthday photo credits: Will Clayton – www.flickr.com)

“SECURE a Sales AGENT” and “NAVIGATING a Film’s FINANCIALS”

Today on STAGE 32, you can find two webinars that offer tips on film financing and distribution.  While these workshops aren’t free, like most of the other finds on Indie LIBRE, I figured I’d post info on these workshops because if I had the extra dough, I’d totally go!  I’m all about film financing right now, and with “Navigating a Film’s Financials” led by Maura Anderson, you can gain a better understanding of budgets, cash flows, and cost reports.  Putting together a proper budget has a huge impact on the success of your film.  Also, with “How to Understand, Identify, and Secure a Sales Agent” led by Simon Graham-Clare and Ricky Margolis, you can learn more about the benefits of adding a Sales Agent to your production and how to find a good one. Both classes start on Tuesday, July 21st, so you could create your own Film Producing Boot Camp! For more information or to register for the courses, visit Navigating a Film’s Financials and How to Understand, Identify, and Secure a Sales Agent on Stage 32.  Also, if you haven’t yet registered for the free Entertainment Networking site, check out my previous post on how to join Stage 32.

 

Get in on the Sci-Fi Action!

Here’s your chance to help bring a Sci-fi project to life!  Director Bryan Ribeiro released the exciting pre-production news of his latest film HH via IndieGoGo.  It’s a psychological sci-fi thriller that follows prisoners trapped in a mysterious facility.  To earn their freedom, they must solve puzzles and interact with the virtual cat Schro.  Check out the campaign here to learn more about this feature full of strategy, survival, and trust.

indiegogo.com/projects/hh-psychological-sci-fi-thriller-film#/story