I can't believe the summer is almost over, but I am looking forward to some amazing things for the fall. One of those things is the return of the Woman's Work Writing Workshop! I'm excited to announce that we will be hosting the workshop on both the west and east coast. See information below.
GirlChild Press presents Woman’s Work Writing Workshop
Los Angeles - Sunday, September 20, 2009 1:00pm-4:00pm Facilitator: Michelle Sewell
D.C. - Sunday, October 4, 2009 – 12:00pm – 3:00pm (scholarship available for DC class - see below) Facilitators: Yael Flusberg and Michelle Sewell
This interactive 3-hour workshop is designed to strengthen your ability to access your original voice, take creative risks, and move your writing to a deeper level. Writing exercises and feedback from your instructors and fellow writers will allow you to expand your powers of observation, imagination, and language. The workshop is perfect for writers at all stages of development.
THE WORKSHOP WILL FOCUS ON Writing Exercises to Produce Draft Work
Discussion on: Writing Habits and Tools Craft Elements Revision Techniques
EACH WRITER WILL RECEIVE: A Workbook A copy of Just Like A Girl: A Manifesta! After workshop opportunity to submit up to 2 excerpts/pieces to GirlChild Press for a written critique
The final hour of the workshop will allow for discussion and review of existing projects. Writing should take no more than 10 minutes to read aloud. Class size is limited to allow for maximum feedback and review. Registration will close when the class is full. Register Now!
The $50.00 workshop fee is due no later than the day before the class. Early registration is encouraged due to limited class size. For more information: girlchildpress@aol.com Read more!
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION If you or someone you know is interested in securing the scholarship for the DC Workshop all you have to do is complete a one page, double space essay on why you want to attend the workshop and what you would like to accomplish as a result of your attendance. All essays should be submitted by August 28, 2009 to girlchildpress@aol.com. We'll make a final determination by September 7, 2009.
If anyone else is interested in providing a scholarship for a woman writer please feel free to contact us at girlchildpress@aol.com
Okay, let me say up front that this tip came from a book that I am rereading. A Manual of Writer's Tricks: Essential Advice for Fiction and Nonfiction Writers by David L. Carroll is full of little tidbits that can get your through almost any writer's block or creative downturn.
I am currently digging on Chapter 1 - Finding the Right Word. Carroll is of the opinion that a thesaurus, or word finder, is more valuable to a writer than a dictionary. He cautions us to get away from the myth that great writers don't use any of these tools to produce their work. Sure Toni Morrison has a big vocabulary but I bet she also owns a thesaurus.
So before you start your next writing project consult your thesaurus to compile a list of words that you will expect to use during the writing. For example, if you are writing a piece on cars, you should be looking for synonyms for that word such as "sedan," "clunker," and "automobile." This trick will save you lots of time, maintain your flow of writing because the list is right there on hand, and bring a richness to your writing.
I first became aware of Roberta Munroe in 2006. She was featured in a filmmaking magazine where she talked about her experience as a Sundance shorts programmer. What struck me first about this article was that she was a woman of color. I know we are supposed to be all Obama post-racial, but this was 2006. In my mind (and I suspect a lot of other folks) the Sundance Film Festival is synonymous with quality, prestige and primarily white content. So I was shocked to discover that one of the shorts programmers actually looked like me. Well not exactly like me, but still. Little did I know that three years later I would be sitting in her garden talking about film, Malcolm Gladwell, hiking, and the price of being a smart black girl.
In those three years, Roberta has released two short films: Dani and Alice and Happy Birthday, left her position at Sundance, and published a book, How Not to Make A Short Film. Nowadays she runs a film consulting firm Roberta Munroe, LLC and travels around the world hipping filmmakers to a better way of building the movie mouse trap.
Our chat started with me asking her what kinds of films make it into Sundance? She couldn’t help but laugh. She had heard that question at least a thousand times over the last five years and she says she gives the same answer all the time – good ones. According to Roberta, less than two percent of the all films submitted to Sundance get in. If she watched 100 shorts on a particular day, ten were good. Of the ten - six were flawed in some way that made them completely unprogrammable. Of the remaining four (which are really good) two hit the bulls eye and the other two will be eliminated for length. That is how slim the margins are.
Apparently there seems to be some myth about getting into the Sundance Film Festival and it involves a lot of cloak and dagger and knowing someone’s uncle. Roberta says none of that is true. “Sundance is in the business of finding new and amazing talent and none of the programmers are going to take the risk of not watching a submission and then find it playing at another top tier festival without an explanation why they missed it,” she explains. According to Roberta film festivals want to program excellent work so please let go of the conspiracy theory.
So if Sundance is so awesome why did she leave? Roberta still does work with Sundance on special projects, but at some point she wanted to branch out on her own and explore other opportunities. One of those opportunities was writing a book geared to filmmakers who produce short films. A handbook of sorts. By the time she left the festival they were receiving over 5,000 shorts a year so she had first hand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work in the world of shorts. She wanted to help up-and-coming filmmakers to produce their best work by sharing the knowledge that came from watching over 15,000 hours of video and film.
How Not to Make A Short Film is a wonderful handbook for anyone interested in making an excellent short film. Roberta takes you from story concept, emergencies on the set (i.e. crack heads banging on the adjoining wall to your set) and the necessity of budgeting for a solid post production experience. The tone of the book is straightforward and honest. You won’t find elaborate formulas or long drawn out diatribes on film critique – just clear advice and examples of how to make the best film possible. For those who don't fancy yourselves readers, you can check out the series of videos that Roberta put together to illustrate her point - hilariously - regarding the mistakes that filmmakers make.
As a consultant Roberta is approached by clients for all kinds of reasons. Some need a simple script consult. Some want her advice on some elements of their projects before they head into production. Others want to strategize around promoting their film or securing a producer. But she says one of the more challenging situations is when a client has already completed their film and they are trying to figure out why they are being rejected by film festivals left and right. Roberta says, “The reality is they know why they are not getting into festivals. I think they ask other people hoping they will give them a different answer.” By the time a filmmaker with a completed project gets to her, they have told themselves a series of lies about why they are not seeing movement with their project and they are paying her to tell them the hard truth. Roberta believes filmmakers, all artists for the matter, need to really get real with themselves. “You know when you are compromising on your vision, or when you have bitten off more than you can chew on your project,” she counsels. Basically, you can’t cut together a 45 minute “short” that suffers from poor editing or a horrible actor and think that any festival is going to touch you with a ten foot programming pole – no matter how “genius” the story. Save yourself the time and aggravation and just go back to the drawing board.
The best advice she thinks she can offer filmmakers is to listen to feedback and understand that every experience is a necessary link in their film making career. She looks at her own career and knows that this is true. When she went into production on her first short film Dani and Alice she made sure she surrounded herself with really smart and capable people. She says there was so much she didn’t know about the process and in some ways it was trial by (blazing hot) fire. She praises her producer Effie Brown (Real Women Have Curves, Stranger Inside) who helped her to make hard decisions and not lose her mind. Dani and Alice premiered at the London LGBT Film Festival to rave reviews.
Roberta also encourages filmmakers not to look at someone else’s career and think they have been sprinkled with some magical fairy dust to get where they are. She recently read Malcolm Gladwell’s The Outliers: A Story of Success (I, too, love this book!) and she says it is an excellent read to fully understand how success comes. A series of, what appear to be, unrelated events link together in your life. You follow your passion. You do your homework. You work really hard. And when the opportunities arise you will be ready. She knows that is the formula that has helped her land some of the most plum assignments in her career.
What’s next for Roberta Marie Munroe? She has been tapped to sit on a special U.N. panel with an emphasis on programming shorts with HIV/AIDS content. Hopefully the initiative will lead to the production of socially conscious features. She is also preparing to write a YA novel with a gay theme and of course, making more films of her own.
If you live in the Los Angeles area you have the opportunity to access the genius of the shorts guru. Roberta will be holding her Best Short Film Workshop Ever on Saturday, August 22, 2009. The full day intensive workshop starts at 9:30a.m. and it will cover everything needed to pull together that killer short film that will get into every film festival known to mankind and launch your filmmaking career into the stratosphere – all for $59.00!
Five Tips for Filmmakers - According to Roberta Munroe
1. Don’t use all your own money to finance your film. Ask friends, family, or investors to get in on the act. 2. Create a budget that allows for a solid post production experience. You can skimp on a lot of things, but don’t skimp on post. 3. Don’t spend a lot of money that you don’t have. Shorts rarely make back the money that it took to produce them so be comfortable not seeing your investment back. 4. $5,000 -$20,000 is the maximum that should be spent on a short film. It is a short after all! 5. Read. Watch movies. Listen. Don’t think you know it all. Read some more.
As I adjust to my new life in Los Angeles, there is a lot to get use to. Traffic. Never ending sunshine. Celebrities roaming the streets like free-range chickens. More traffic. But the code I have not been able to crack over the last few weeks is L.A.’s obsession with donuts. In a three block radius of my new house there are a minimum of six donut establishments. One of them has the nerve to be 24 hours! Really! Back at home I can’t think of even one Dunkin Donut near my house, much less 6. In the land of size zero and 24 hour gyms how in the name of tarnation is this allowed to be?
Initially, I thought it was just a random store on the corner of Chevy Chase and Central, but as I made my way through my new neighborhood I started to notice these donut shops at a more frequent rate. I couldn’t help but wonder who is making a living, in this economy, selling just donuts? So one night, out of curiosity and a sweet tooth that wouldn’t quit, I stopped by the 24 hour shop. Inside there was a little dark-haired woman cleaning off tables and making fresh coffee. The space was sparse, with its weird green-colored walls, and except for a large refrigerator with coke products on sale the only thing on the menu were donuts! I ordered a cup of said coffee and two old fashion donuts with chocolate. I took my goodies to my car and decided to stake out the joint. There was no way she was seeing any donut business at 10:00pm.
Before I could pop the top on my coffee two guys jumped out of their silver Prius and headed inside. They seemed to be regulars. The little woman chatted them up as she loaded up a bag with their order. Within five minutes the laughing pair exited with a large bag of donuts. I immediately dismissed them as night watchmen who needed the sugar fix to stay awake and protect whatever they were supposed to be protecting. Then two skateboarder kids, both around sixteen, skated up to the shop. Doesn’t California have curfew laws? They headed inside, grabbed a couple cokes from the cooler, and ordered up donuts. A couple minutes later and they were off on their skateboards munching away.
By the time I pulled away from the donut shop, twenty minutes had past, and no fewer than ten people had made their way into this unassuming, little strip mall store. Of course, my spontaneous late night stake out created more questions than answers. So I Googled the history of donuts and California. Here is what I found.
First of all, donuts have existed since the beginning of time. Seriously. Archaeologists are still finding fossilized donut remnants in what is believed to be prehistoric Native American settlements. But donuts didn’t hit their stride until John Blondell was awarded the patent for the first “doughnut cutter” made out of wood in 1872. By 1920 a Russian refugee invented a donut machine which allowed for the automation of the making of donuts and causing the sugary, doughy confection to spread like wildfire.
So what’s the deal with California’s over-the-top love affair with donuts? There isn’t a clear story for their migration pattern here. The best I could fish out was the Portuguese immigrants who settled in Hawaii and brought their tradition of malasadas making (yeast dough deep fried in oil and rolled in granulated sugar) that they readily shared with other immigrants from other ethnic groups and they then migrated to California bringing a variation of that tasty treat with them. Somehow all that dough rolling and cutting and frying has made Southern California the region with the largest number of donut shops (franchises and mom and pop) in the country.
I don’t know if I solved any mysteries, but I do know where to get some kick-ass chocolate donuts at two in the morning. And by the way, I never saw a police officer pull up to the 24 hour shop that entire time I was there.
At the 5th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival last week I came across a great panel on short film distribution moderated by Roberta Marie Munroe (How Not to Make A Short Film: Secrets from a A Sundance Programmer) at the Sunset 5 in Los Angeles.
Munroe along with panelist Todd Luoto, Sundance Film Festival and Independent Filmmaker; Carson Mell, Independent Filmmaker; and Orly Ravid, New American Vision, took us down the long and windy path of film distribution as it relates to short films. Historically, short films have been seen and treated as the redheaded stepchild of the film world. What exactly are you supposed to do with a 7 to 10 minute film where features are king? Well it seems that you need to answer that question long before you turn on your camera.
According to Munroe and the panel one of the biggest mistakes filmmakers make, and there seems to be plenty, is not figuring out who they are making this film for. If you only plan to show your comedy gem on Youtube then you don’t have to worry about any of this, but if you are interested in a film career and your short seeing the light of day then you might want to heed their advice.
It all starts with the story. If you have a crappy script, you will end up with a crappy film. No amount of editing, music, or over-the-top post special effects will be able to cover the crappiness. Really put the effort into coming up with the best script that you can. Have other people read it (not just your girlfriend who thinks everything you do is brilliant) who can give you sound feedback.
When you cast your film make sure you understand the SAG talent agreement if you choose to work with union actors. According to Luoto you have a lot of work ahead of you once you sign on for that relationship. So if your best friend is Will Smith and he loves your sci-fi-comedy-adventure film enough to star in it for you; remember — he is a SAG actor and there is a lot of shit and paperwork that comes with his generous offer.
Make sure you have all your clearances in place. Now you would think this was a no-brainer but apparently more than a few shorts show up at the various film festivals’ programming offices with the sound track from Star Wars weaved all through them. It seemed a clever and heartfelt homage to George Lucas and his epic space adventure at the time, but most likely you will never get clearance to use it. So basically your film is dead in the water and no distributor will give you the time of day.
If you’ve gotten your film far along enough that it is seeing film festival success and a distributor is interested in signing a deal with you — know that your work is just beginning. They don’t call this showBUSINESS for nothing.
It is your responsibility to keep track of ALL paperwork that relates to the production of your film. Clearances (music, locations, brands), talent contracts, crew releases, proof of payments, and whatever contracts with investors or business partners. Lack of organization on your part will hinder you from securing distribution because these companies will not do this work for you. They will not take on any legal problems that were created during production. They need a “clean” film in order to get ample distribution.
When you find yourself at the negotiation table with your potential distributor, Orly Ravid wants you to remember that you have rights regarding your rights. Sometimes filmmakers are so happy to have someone paying their film some attention they will sign anything. Here is where you will be kicking yourself in the ass for at least three years if you don’t slow your roll and read and reread the fine print. Distribution rights as it relates to your film can cover many platforms: mobile/wireless, online streaming, television, theatrical, DVD, and whatever technology they have yet to discover. Fascinating facts of the panel: you can get a distribution deal showing your short on airline flights! In Korea, two minute shorts on mobile phones are all the rage! So basically where ever movies can be shown your short film has a shot of being seen there.
But back to your rights. Ravid, who is a 10-year industry veteran, suggest you don’t sign an “all rights” deal. If the distributor that is interested in you and your film deals in all areas but television distribution there is no reason for you to sign broadcast rights over to them. If they insist on these rights then request “bench marks” in your contractor. If they can’t get you a deal through a specific market in a specific time frame then they agree to return those rights to you. If this sounds all too convoluted you can check out Orly’s filmmakers’ tip sheet.
At the end of the day some filmmakers feel that they know their project the best and want to do the work to get it out into the world. These are the folks who are committed to DIY distribution. They get together with other filmmakers and rent out a movie theatre for a week and show their films. They get their films included in gallery showings. They post them up on Youtube. They sell their DVDs through a dedicated website. They launch impressive viral campaigns that gets them tons of attention – from the right people. Todd informed the crowd at the panel that Sundance has programmed shorts that they discovered on youtube. If your film is good it will get noticed.
Be mindful that some film festivals do frown on your short being seen by millions on youtube or your website if they are going to programming it, so do your homework to determine how your distribution efforts might bump up against some of these rules.
Distribution is a rapidly changing beast. Just this week AT&T U-Verse launched a channel dedicated to airing shorts! I think everyone can safely say that ten years ago they never saw this coming. Netflix has a “Watch Now” program, Youtube.com has a “screening room” program that is curated, programed and pays the filmmakers featured, and Hulu.com says they are open to short films as long as they have a significant marketing hook.
As you can see — opportunities are abound. Your best bet is to educate yourself and make a kick ass film!
(originally posted on Velvet Park) I caught up with Sonya Renee Taylor at L.A.’s famous Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffle restaurant this week to get the low down on what has been happening in her poet's life. We have recently switched coasts (She back to east and me, newly here, on the west.) and wanted to compare notes about living the artist's life – fulltime. Sonya is an HBO Def Poet and National Poetry SLAM winner and over the last couple of years has taken the leap to make her living as a fulltime artist on the road. Her verbal acrobatics have taken her from Texas to New Zealand and back again.
I first saw Sonya do her thing at a venue in Washington, D.C. about five years ago. D.C. is one of those places where you can literally go to a venue every night and hear some amazing work being delivered. From the moment Sonya hits the stage, you can’t take your eyes off her. She is this voluptuous, confident sister armed with take-no-prisoner poetry. That particular night she came with an over-the-top, part erotic, part public service announcement piece on using condoms. By the time it was all said and done, the audience was left begging for more. I didn’t know Sonya at the time, so count me shocked when a few months later, while attending the March for Women’s Lives on the National Mall, I heard her distinct and booming voice coming from the main stage. Her call to arms piece “What Women Deserve” energized the 1.6 million people in attendance in a way few of the other headliners were able to.
About a year later we ended up sharing the same stage at MotherTongue, a women’s open mic, and after the show we formally met. I was not surprised to discover that Sonya has a master's degree in non-profit management and has devoted a good chunk of her adult life to issues impacting a great many marginalized populations. She has lent her expertise to educating and protecting sex workers, getting the word out on HIV prevention, and protecting women’s right to choose. No wonder her poetry comes off so real. She is at ground zero on many of these important issues and knows the ramifications if we remain silent and do nothing.
But Sonya knows how to keep it fun and sexy on stage as well. She wants people to enjoy themselves and for those who come to her performance with a certain set of expectations she wants to shake them of those. “People who are new to slam/performance poetry sometimes believe it’s not as good as 'page poetry' or worse, that it is just plain bad,” she shares. Five minutes into any of her sets and they quickly abandon those notions. She says she loves to watch the looks on her audiences’ faces when she goes to some taboo place through her work. “First, they are always shocked, then self-conscious and eventually they loosen up and go along for the ride,” she says. During her performances she brings as much of herself to the stage as she can. She references her blackness, her womanness, her thickness and strength. “People know when you are faking it. They know when you are just pushing the words out and don’t care whether or how they land.”
So how does she keep her work and herself fresh when she is performing at such a constant pace? She says she has over 800 poems in her catalog to pick from (about 200 of them memorized) and tries to read her audience at the very beginning to get a sense of what they need to hear. She admits there are times that she gets bored with doing her “top 10” – she gets a lot of requests for her signature pieces – but figures there are worse ways a girl could make a living than telling her truth through her poetry.
Sonya’s recent move back to the east coast is also inspiring her to take some new risks with her work. She wants to adopt a new tone for her poetry and address subjects that she might have neglected in the past. She is also putting together a poetry book, A Little Truth on Your Shirt, that will debut in early 2010. (Her latest CD, Thick Girl, can be purchased at www.PoetCD.com.) Any trepidation she has about switching things up on her fans she keeps in check by recognizing that, as she grows, her work grows, and that’s good for everyone involved.
I recently discovered a video performance of one of her poems that I’ve never heard. I don’t know if “Slices” is in her top 10, but it should be. Enjoy!
