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July 21, 2018

Watch: Using Filters to Make Your Work Look More Professional

Filters—one of the most essential tools in a filmmaker’s gear bag.The most common problems you’ll see in the work of new filmmakers have something to …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

July 20, 2018

3 Tips on How You Can Encourage Diversity on a Low-Budget Set


Statistics on the homogeneity of many Hollywood films continue to be lousy.


Filmmaker J. Rick Castañeda creates worlds on screen that accurately represent historically underrepresented people, while still keeping features to a finite budget. One big piece of that puzzle for him? Casting, casting, casting!



This USC Annenberg study points out that out of 900 popular films in 2016, just 3.1% of characters with lines were Hispanic. Ouch! Castañeda decided that on his second feature film, a surreal office workplace born out of his experience temping in Hollywood, he would continue a few tricks he learned on his first feature and would represent more people from more places (and more countries). On some sets, getting out of your comfort zone to create diversity can be a challenge. But other times, it’s as easy as keeping the camera populated by actual members of your community.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 20, 2018

The Daily Chord Weekly Recap – Friday, July 20

SXSW 2019 Daily Chord

New music, old music, live music, recorded music, music formats, music business, the culture of music, music in the courts, music festivals, music criticism, music in equality, equality in music – these are some of the worlds of music that make up the Daily Chord‘s story selections. Check back each weekday for new links and sign up for our email blast, the original ‘push notification.’

Monday, July 16

Tuesday, July 17

Wednesday, July 18

Thursday, July 19

Friday, July 20

The post The Daily Chord Weekly Recap – Friday, July 20 appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Music

July 20, 2018

Win $10,000 and an Online Premiere for Your Sci-Fi Short


A $10K sci-fi short film competition that wants to prove that “no bond is stronger than family.”


Throughout the year, we feature a number of short film competitions that are on the search for awesome entries, finding that the more focused and specific the competitions are, the more beneficial it is to the applying filmmaker. This latest one, KIN X DUST $10,000 Sci-Fi Short Film Competition, is quite specific indeed, looking for a narrative short (between one and 15-minutes long) that equally shares family and otherworldly values.



A division of the distribution company Gunpowder & Sky, DUST is teaming up with Lionsgate for this initiative, offering a $10,000 cash prize to a short film that, inspired by DUST’s latest upcoming release—Jonathan and Josh Baker’s Kin—is birthed from the tagline “no bond is stronger than family.” If you can create a nifty sci-short that uses familial (and perhaps extraterrestrial) themes appropriately, The Baker Brothers, DUST, and Lionsgate may just choose you to receive the grant and subsequently meet The Baker Brothers and have your film premiere on WatchDust.com.



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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 20, 2018

Fuji Courts Sports and Nature Market with Expanded X Mount Lens Offerings


Fujifilm has announced an expansion for its X series cameras with lenses filmmakers will appreciate.


Fujifilm mirrorless cameras are best known for two main factors, their pleasing color reproduction and their excellent lenses. While they don’t have the amazing low light abilities of the Sony A7 line, and they aren’t the documentary powerhouses with the 10-bit internal of the GH5, they have found a solid position for themselves in the market for photographers—and increasingly filmmakers—who are focused on accurate skintones and sharp but pleasing lenses.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 19, 2018

With flip-out lenses, the Vuze XR transforms from 360- to 180-degree VR camera

The Vuze XR is a compact, dual-lens camera with an integrated handle and a neat party trick: The back-to-back lenses can flip forward to transition from 360-degree two-dimensional video, to 180-degree three-dimensional video.

The post With flip-out lenses, the Vuze XR transforms from 360- to 180-degree VR camera appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

July 19, 2018

2019 SXSW Community Service Awards – Applications Now Open

SXSW 2018 Community Service Awards Honoree - Photo by Robert Santos

Each year at SXSW, we celebrate in a combined ceremony six individuals and six organizations who have gone above and beyond for their communities. Each honoree or organization will receive complimentary badges to SXSW, a grant, and a chance to spread the word about their work to the SXSW community. Learn more about the 2019 SXSW Community Service Awards below and apply before the deadline September 7, 2018 at 11:59pm PT.

SXSW Community Service Awards for Individuals

Six individuals will receive a grant to an eligible 501(c)(3) or eligible charity of their choice as well as a complimentary registration to SXSW 2018. The Community Service Awards is intended to honor the breadth of community service work of five individuals rather than organizations or groups. We are looking for individuals whose creative community service work bridges the digital divide, impacts the community positively, and includes some degree of grassroots or hands-on organizing.

Apply Now

SXSW Community Service Awards for Organizations

Six organizations will also receive a grant to continue or begin their work and will be honored at the SXSW Community Service Awards. To qualify, an organization must be a charitable organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) or be otherwise qualified to receive charitable contributions. The selection committee chooses organization grantees based on their connection to one of the following aspects of SXSW: Interactive, Film, Music, EDU, or Gaming.

Apply Now

All applications are free of charge and must be received no later than 11:59pm PT on September 7, 2018.

Who Should Apply?

The SXSW Community Service Awards are for everyone! Whether your interest lies in filmmaking, music, technology, education, or gaming, the SXSW Community Service Awards recognize good work being done within communities. There’s also a grant for a local Austin charitable organization that does not easily fit into one of those festival categories. SXSW feels that promoting good is one of many ways of helping foster creative innovation.

Join us for another exciting event March 8-17, 2019 in Austin, Texas. Registration and Housing will open on August 1, 2018. Sign up for SXSW Event Updates so you don’t miss a beat, announcement or important deadline.

Take a look back at the 2018 event with videos from Keynotes, film premieres, sessions, and more on the official SXSW YouTube Channel. Find and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and SXSW News for the latest SX coverage.

Photo by Robert Santos

The post 2019 SXSW Community Service Awards – Applications Now Open appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

July 19, 2018

Westworld Cast and Showrunners Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy at SXSW 2018 [Video]

“Bring yourself back online” with the Westworld Featured Session at SXSW 2018. Moderated by WIRED‘s Jason Tanz, cast members of the HBO drama series Westworld – Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, and Jeffrey Wright – joined showrunners and creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy for an inside look at the award-winning show.

The creatives and cast members of Westworld answered fan questions and discussed their response to the show. “We had a chance to really think about a story, we weren’t really interested in doing a television series in a sense, ” said creator Jonathan Nolan. “We wanted to treat it more like a film franchise, with each season like an installment. The only way I know how to do that is to change the game every season.” In addition to the series questions, topics like social media and artificial intelligence were also explored.

“What I love about the show is that it makes you ask questions. We take so many things for granted, we hardly ask ‘why’ or ‘how,’ ‘where,’ or ‘what am I feeling.’ It is [the show] actually making us question our reality…we start to question everything and technology is paving the way for that” – Evan Rachel Wood

New for 2018, SXSW introduced the SXSW Creative Experience “Arrow” Awards, celebrating creativity and innovation from agencies and activations at the event. HBO and Giant Spoon received one of the inaugural awards for the Best Immersive Experience. Together they created an immersive, theatrical experience for Westworld. Attendees were shuttled to a remote location where a recreation of the town of Sweetwater awaited them. The experience included actors trained for months in advance to create a fictional story that came to life on the two-acre set.

The first two seasons of Westworld are available to stream on HBO.

Watch the SXSW Westworld Session

Join Us in March 2019

Film submissions for the 2019 SXSW Film Festival are now open. Submit your film by the Early Deadline on August 23 and save. Learn more about all the ways you can apply to participate at SXSW here.

Mark your calendars for August 1 when registration and housing opens for the 2019 SXSW season. In the meantime, get inspired by previous Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&A’s on our YouTube Channel.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage.

See you in March!

2018 SXSW Featured Session on Westworld – Photo by Samantha Burkardt

The post Westworld Cast and Showrunners Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy at SXSW 2018 [Video] appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

July 19, 2018

Guide to Submitting a Short Film to the 2019 SXSW Film Festival

Interested in submitting a short film to the 2019 SXSW Film Festival? We are only a little over a month away from the SXSW Film Early Submission Deadline on August 23. Before you submit, be sure to take a look at our guidelines below to ensure your film is eligible for SXSW and check out the Film Submissions page for deadlines and fees.

Short Film Submission Guidelines

  • Your film must be under 40 minutes in length.

  • If your short film HAS NOT screened in Austin, Texas you are eligible to submit to SXSW. For more information about premiere status and eligibility click here.

  • Your project must have been completed in 2017, 2018 or be on track for completion in early 2019.

  • The shorts program consists of ten curated programs: Narrative Shorts, Documentary Shorts, Animated Shorts, Midnight Shorts, Music Videos, Texas Shorts, Texas High School Shorts, Independent Episodics, Virtual Cinema, and Title Design Competition.

  • Please note if your submitting an Independent Episodic to apply via the Film Festival Episodic application. If you are submitting a Music Video, Texas High School Short, Virtual Cinema or Title Design Competition project, please apply through their respective applications.

  • SXSW does not accept trailers or rough assemblies, but will accept work-in-progress cuts (picture lock with temp sound, color, etc.) Please be aware SXSW will not screen multiple updates/versions of your film for programming consideration.

  • Please submit your application when you are ready to send your film in the most complete and finished form possible, as we will only watch the first cut submitted.

  • All short films must be submitted via a secure URL link. Please note, if you change this link or any of your login information prior to March 2019 without contacting SXSW your film may become ineligible for consideration.

  • SXSW is proud to be an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards Short Film competition. The winners of our Narrative, Documentary, and Animated Short Film categories become eligible for the Academy Awards.

  • The 2018 SXSW Film Festival marked the 25th edition of the festival, click here to get inspired and read stories from our film alumni!

  • For specific questions about submitting your film, look no further than our Film Submissions FAQ. Still have questions? Don’t hesitate to email filmfest@sxsw.com.

  • Once you have submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from SXSW within 48 hours. This email will confirm that your film has been submitted correctly. If you do not receive this email within 48 hours, you should follow up by email (filmfest@sxsw.com) to ensure your film has been submitted properly and is under consideration.

  • All applicants will be informed of the status of their project no later than Friday, February 8, 2019.

Submit Your Short Film

Join Us in March 2019

Mark your calendars for August 1 when registration and housing opens for the 2019 SXSW season. In the meantime, get inspired by previous Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&A’s on our YouTube Channel.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage.

See you in March!

Midnight Shorts Q&A – Photo by Claudio Fox

The post Guide to Submitting a Short Film to the 2019 SXSW Film Festival appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

July 19, 2018

Samsung’s moon-hopping VR experience in NYC is like space camp for adults

For the next year, Samsung will let you simulate walking on the moon, thanks to the Gear VR, Galaxy S9 Plus, and a complicated harness system that was developed in partnership with NASA.

The post Samsung’s moon-hopping VR experience in NYC is like space camp for adults appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR