DIY DAYS - fund :: create :: distribute :: sustain

DIY DAYS Boston coverage

We’re working hard to get the videos from Boston online. In the meantime here is some coverage of last weekend’s DIY DAYS event.

David Tames over at www.kino-eye.com covered the event and provides some valuable insight into the day’s presentations.

The DIY Days Boston conference was held at MassArt on October 4, 2008. The conference drew a full-house of both seasoned and emerging filmmakers and media artists who came to learn about online tools, techniques, and strategies for building and sustating their audience. DIY Days follows an open source model, the conferences are produced with the efforts of the organizers, volunteers, and generous supporters like MassArt Professional and Continuing Education for the Boston event.

Lance Weiler said, “if there is anything that you find valuable [we ask that] you share with someone else, that’s the cost of admission […] embed it and share it.” Some of the gems from the conference include Lance’s suggestion (I’m paraphrasing) that “your movie is only a seed from which to build a community” and he is urging filmmakers to stop thinking of themselves as being in competition with each other and helping each other, creating a new community of sharing ideas and films and strategies from the ground up, this is what the Workbook Project is all about. Slava Rubin of IndieGoGo put it in terms of DIWO (Doing It With Others). Here are some of my notes from the sessions.

Part one
Part two


Marie Lamb from ARGNet attended and found striking similarities to issues faced by game designers.

When I heard DIY Days was coming to Boston, mostly I was looking forward to reconnecting with filmmaker, Alternate Reality Game enthusiast and ARGFest Boston speaker, Lance Weiler, (Hope is Missing and Beyond the Rave) and maybe getting a scoop on his next project. While I did get to do all that, I also got to meet some incredibly talented independent filmmakers, culture researchers, and writers, and participate in a great discussion not only about independent filmmaking, but also about the future of media and technology.

DIY Days is an offshoot of Weiler’s The Workbook Project, and is paired with the From Here to Awesome Film Festival. All are grounded in his commitment to open-source filmmaking, mentoring and encouraging creativity and helping independent filmmakers to finance, distribute and promote their projects inside and outside of traditional media channels (but mostly outside). Weiler’s partner in DIY Days is Arin Crumley, co-creator of indie film/YouTube phenomenon, Four Eyed Monsters.

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THANK YOU BOSTON

Scott Kirsner gives a presentation on the Era of Digital Creativity.

DIY DAYS Boston was a blast. Things kicked off Friday night with a special series of FHTA screenings - Book of Caleb, Ring of Blood and a special Boston premiere of Smile Boston Project. Special thanks to MassArt and David Tames for being hosts to the DIY DAYS and FHTA events this past weekend.

On Saturday we held our last DIY DAYS event in the US until next year. It was a day full of workshops, presentations and round tables. We’ll be posting various audio, video and power point files in the coming weeks. All the content is open so feel free to embed and spread.

DIY DAYS Boston opened with a conversation with Todd Dagres. Thanks to Scott Kirsner over at CinemaTech for recording and posting the conversation. We’ll be posting the video soon.

Todd has produced several independent films (including the Sundance entry ‘TransSiberian’ this year), but he is best known as a venture capitalist who funds start-up companies like Veoh, EQAL, Twitter, and Next New Networks. Our conversation focused on how TV is changing… the as-yet-unproven business models of Internet video… financing and making independent films… how distribution is evolving… and why the word “community” ought to replace the word “audience” in your vocabulary

Listen Now

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And big thanks to everyone that helped us to stage four DIY DAYS events (LA, SF, NYC, Boston) in the last four months. We’re in the planning stages for next year so if you have suggestions on where we should hold events, speakers we should include, projects we should cover, ways to improve the events or if you’d like to volunteer to help make an event possible we’d love to hear from you.

DIY DAYS - live from BOSTON

DIY DAYS - Boston 10.3 and 10.4

DIY DAYS is coming to Boston

This event is FREE thanks to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Professional and Continuing Education, From Here to Awesome and the Workbook Project

DIY DAYS - fund :: create :: distribute :: sustain
How do we sustain ourselves as filmmakers and storytellers in this day of shifting film distribution systems? How do we monetize our film and get the word out without studio support? Presented by MassArt, From Here to Awesome and The Workbook Project - DIY DAYS aims to answer these questions with a day of roundtable discussions and workshops: A look at how to fund, create, and distribute and sustain.

SPECIAL SCREENING of FROM HERE TO AWESOME FILMS
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tower Auditorium
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
621 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Directions Link: http://massart.edu/x474.xml
7pm to 9:30pm

DIY DAYS CONFERENCE
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Trustees Room, 11th Floor Tower Building
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
621 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Directions Link:: http://massart.edu/x474.xml
10am to 6:30pm

Event schedule:

10:00
DOORS OPEN

10:15 to 11:00
AN INVESTOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON INDIE FILM AND DIGITAL MEDIA
Todd Dagres has a unique perspective on the funding of film and digital media. As a founder and General Partner of Spark Capital, he’s led Spark’s investments in Veoh Networks, Menara Networks, Verivue, EQAL, Covestor, Tjet, and Intune Networks. Mr. Dagres’ Entertainment and Media endeavors include establishing two film and television production companies (Prospect Pictures and Ealing Studios) that together have produced over 10 films and TV shows since 2003. He has also been involved in the production of several films including Pretty Persuasion (2005 Sundance Film Festival) which was released by Samuel Goldwyn and Sony Pictures Entertainment and TransSiberian (2008 Sundance Film Festival) which was released by First Look Studios.

Fireside chat - Todd Dagres, Scott Kirsner, Lance Weiler

11:00 to 12:00
IF IT DOESN’T SPREAD, IT’S DEAD: CREATING VALUE IN A SPREADABLE MARKETPLACE
Xiaochang Li and Ana Domb from MIT’s Convergence Culture Consortium look at how media content spreads in the current landscape and how the audience engages with it. Moving away from the “viral” metaphor that strips the user of its agency, they examine the shift away from a “sticky” model to a “spreadable” one. This notion of spreadability is intended as a contrast to older models of stickiness which emphasize centralized control over distribution .This presentation is the result of research project developed over the last year with Dr. Henry Jenkins.

12:00 to 12:30
SHOW ME THE MONEY – Slava Rubin
As today’s global financial markets struggle, the U.S. presidential candidates are raising over $1,000,000 a day online in sub $1,000 contributions from individuals. In other industries, companies like Prosper, Kiva and Sellaband are eliminating the middlemen and democratizing fundraising as well. The secret is crowdfunding and fan participation. Through a direct connection (i.e. social networks, email, distribution outlets, blogs, house parties, twitter, chat) and a call to action, each case study is converting niche audiences into their fundraising and promotional base. “Show Me The Money” discusses the trends, the tools, and the companies pioneering DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) Funding and Filmmaking. From widgets to VIP perks, this presentation is for the independent artist interested in engaging their audience to raise money.

12:30 to 1:30
LUNCH

1:30 to 2:00
THE ERA OF DIGITAL CREATIVITY: OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES - Scott Kirsner
We’re living in the era of digital creativity: ideas can take shape and reach audiences with unprecedented ease. The tools of production and the channels of distribution have been democratized. And yet… the old forms — half-hour TV shows, hour-long dramas, 90-minute feature films — don’t seem like they work quite as well in this new environment. What forms and story-telling strategies will replace them? How will creators build audiences for their work, and earn a living?

2:00 to 3:00
MODERN FILMMAKING- Arin Crumley
What are the new story telling tools? How can technology enhance the creative process. What new styles and techniques of filmmaking are now possible? What are the new ways to create collaborative films? What does it mean to be a director immersed in a reality in which everyone has a camera and is their own director? What’s the potential for two way filmmaking conversations between creators and audiences? How does this new media landscape effect the timing of how content is ideally released, democratic availability to all and being sustainable for the creative teams that play a role in making these new films?

3:00 to 4:00
NAVIGATING THE DISTRIBUTION DIVIDE – Lance Weiler
Much has been written about the erosion of the independent film business over the last year. We’ve seen the shuttering of various distribution companies, poor box office for specialty films, a reduction of shelf space - not to mention the complete saturation of films in the market due to the democratization of the tools. We all know the problems, but where are the evasive new business models? How does one advance beyond first mover advantage, marketing gimmicks and press hooks? Where are the models that can be operationalized and developed into real options for all filmmakers? We’ll look at the traditional, hybrid and DIY opportunities.

4:00 to 4:30
NETWORKING BREAK
Members of the audience discuss and share the projects that they are working on.

4:30 to 5:30
FROM HERE TO AWESOME FILMMAKERS ROUNDTABLE
Join From Here to Awesome filmmakers for a discussion on how social media is working for them. How has the FHTA experiment changed the ways they think about making and releasing their films? What have they learned from “day and dating” their films?

Discussion leader Arin Crumley - Roundtable: Matt Von Manahan, Zeke Zelker, Raffi Asdourian, Javier Prato, Fritz Donnelly

5:30 to 6:00
BRAINSTORMING SESSION – David Tames
Can giving something away lead to a profit? David Tames opens up his strategy for releasing his latest doc Smile Boston Project. The film profiles artist Bren Bataclan and his hybrid model of giving away artwork for free and how it has lead to a profit. In this special brainstorming session David layouts out his releasing plans and welcomes audience feedback.

6:00 to 6:30
AN OPEN CONVERSATION ABOUT WORKFLOW – Andy Williams
The process of making and releasing a film can be a difficult process but a clear workflow path can ease the pain. What do you need to know and how do you best prepare for the various formats, transfers, and deliverables that digital and traditional outlets require. This open session will take examples from the audience and break them down step by step and provide suggestions.

Parking details:

Park in the Ward Street lot

MassArt is at 621 Huntington Avenue. Boston, 02115

The Tower Building is on the corner of Huntington and Evans. It’s a modern thirteen story tower. Hard to miss in the area. The Ward Street parking, however, is tricky to find.

The Ward Street Parking Gate will be open Saturday, October 4th
from 7am until 2pm. THIS MEANS THAT YOU JUST NEED TO ENTER BETWEEN 7am and 2pm. AFTER WHICH YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE AFTER 6PM.

Here are detailed directions for people driving to the Ward Street lot:

COMING WEST ON HUNTINGTON AVE
If you’re traveling west on Huntington Avenue towards MassArt, as you pass the main campus on your right, take a left at the light onto Longwood Avenue, crossing over the trolley tracks. Go straight to the stop sign and turn left, then immediately turn right onto Ward Street. MassArt’s parking lot is short distance ahead on the left. See the Google Map of the area if you need visuals.

COMING EAST ON HUNTINGTON AVE
If you’re traveling east on Huntington Avenue towards MassArt, right at the light onto Longwood Avenue, then a quick left and right and you’re on Ward Street. MassArt’s parking lot is short distance ahead on the left. You can’t turn right onto Ward Street from Huntington avenue, so if you miss the intersection, you’ll have to take a long loop around the blog. See the Google Map of the area if you need visuals.

We’re looking for volunteers to help with the events. If you’re interested please contact us at info [@] workbookproject dot com

We need the following:

1. people to help with setup, collecting tickets, registration, breakdown and cleanup
2. folks with cameras and audio gear to help document the events
3. editors to help edit, encode and upload the footage
4. live blogger to document the conference

Next Stop NYC

Special thanks to everyone who helped to make DIY DAYS SF a success. These events would not be possible without the support of volunteers - all of the staff, tech team, and camera folks donate their time and skills. If you’d like to volunteer your skills we’re looking for people to help with NYC and Boston. Drop us an email if you’re interested.

DIY DAYS is headed to NYC. We’re in the process of finalizing plans for a different format. This time around we’ll be holding a dinner with a collection of interesting guests from various industries. The conversation will be documented and streamed live. Stayed tuned for more details.

Meanwhile content from SF will be filtering out across the web in the coming days and we still have quite a bit to share from LA. In LA, Robert Greenwald gave the following opening keynote. For more on Robert and his work visit www.bravenewfilms.com and www.robertgreenwald.com

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<center><b>DIY DAYS LA - Robert Greenwald - Opening Keynote</b></p> <p> <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/kG3E_AyIsVY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="255" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> <br/><br /> <a href="http://workbookproject.com" mce_href=”http://workbookproject.com”>fund, create, distribute and sustain</a></center>

DIY DAYS - Live from San Francisco

DIY DAYS - San Francisco

This event is FREE thanks to

Current TV, From Here to Awesome and the Workbook Project

SAN FRANCISCO
Sunday, August 17th
111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
http://www.111minnagallery.com

Schedule for the day

10am
Doors Open / Registration

10:30am to 10:50am
INTRO: Open source filmmaking
An overview of the current landscape presented by Lance Weiler

11:00am to 11:30am
CASE STUDY: The Tribe
Tiffany Slain on the production and distribution of her short .

11:45am to noon
CONVERSATION: What are you working on?
Open discussion & networking

Noon to 1pm
LUNCH

1pm to 2pm
ONE ON ONE: War Stories
Arin Crumley (Four Eyed Monsters) and Caveh Zahedi (I’m a Sex Addict) have a candid discussion about the process of getting their films made and distributed. What really goes on behind the scenes? Join us as Arin and Caveh compare battle scars.

2pm to 2:15pm
CONVERSATION: What are you looking for?
Open discussion & networking

2:15 to 3:15pm
PANEL: The art and science of crowdsourcing
There is power in the crowd. When they rise up they can fund, create, distribute and promote. But how do you turn an audience into an active community where members become collaborators? Panelists: Slava Rubin (indieGoGo), Skot Leach (Lost Zombie), Jason Harris (Mekanism), Bryan Kennedy (Mobmov.org), Blair Erickson (Millions of Us) Discussion Leader: Lance Weiler

3:15 to 3:30pm
BREAK

3:30 to 4:15pm
CASE STUDY: Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea
Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer on the production and distribution of their feature.

4:15 to 4:45pm
ONE ON ONE: Cinema and the singularity
Exponential growth of technology has brought on a paradigm shift in the nature of cinema that has yet to be fully understood. How can we anticipate changes in the coming years, and what can media artists do to take an active role in innovation that shapes the art and business of storytelling?
Brian Chirls and Jerry Paffendorf discuss.

4:45 to 5pm
CONVERSATION: How can you help?
Open discussion & networking

5:00 to 6pm
PANEL: Content is King but are the outlets and services listening?
As the landscape changes new outlets and services are emerging. With so many choices what is a filmmaker to do? But most importantly what are they going to do for you? The system is in flux and there are no rules. This is your chance to let your voice be heard: have a say in how outlets and services think about working with you and for you. Panelists: Scilla Andreen (indieFlix) Alex Afterman (Heretic Films), Sara Pollack (youTube), Tom Hicks (Caachi), Saskia Wilson-Brown (Current TV), Mark Rotblat (TubeMogul) - Discussion Leader: Arin Crumley

6:15pm
BAR OPENS

6:15 to 6:45pm
HOT SEAT: M Dot Strange
M dot Strange takes to the hot seat to go one on one with random people from the audience.

6:45 to 8pm
SPEECH BLITZ
Attendees stand up and talk for 3 minutes to offer their insight on how we take the industry “from here to awesome.” In other words, what’s broken and how do we all fix it?

FHTA experiment - Theatrical on-demand

*SPECIAL screening event

The fate of 12 feature films rests in your hands.

Friday August 15th in San Francisco - 3 feature films will screen at Mint Plaza and the Mezzanine located at 444 Jessie Street.




YOU’RE THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER - you decide what shows that night. To cast your selections click HERE then watch, comment, rate and favorite the films that you feel should screen. The event is FREE click HERE to secure tickets.


FHTA invades San Francisco - Screenings and DIY DAYS

EXTENDING THE STORYWORLD - case study

Lance Weiler details his cinema ARG experiments which have surrounded the release of his feature film Head Trauma. A collision of music, gaming, film and technology - the cinema ARG enables storytelling across platforms while also reaching into the real world. Lance explains how he turned a promotion for Head Trauma’s VOD release into its own intellectual property.

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<center><b>DIY DAYS LA - Extending the Storyworld - case study</b></p> <p> <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/kG3FgQeIsVY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="524" height="325" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> <br/><br /> <a href="http://workbookproject.com" mce_href=”http://workbookproject.com”>fund, create, distribute and sustain</a></center>

WE ARE THE STRANGE - case study

You are now entering the world of M dot Strange you might feel a little freaked out but it’s okay you’re in the good hands. M dot Strange is a mixed media animator from San Jose, Ca. He recently singlehandedly completed an 88 minute animated film entitled “We are the Strange” which made its world premiere in January of this year at the Sundance Film Festival. A reviewer that saw the film M dot made in his bedroom with 9 PC’s over the course of 3 years said “it looked like something Hollywood would make for 70 million” He has recently been featured in the NY Times, ABC World News , Wired.com and his youtube videos have been viewed over a million times.

DIY DAYS LA - WE ARE THE STRANGE - case study



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<center><b>DIY DAYS LA - WE ARE THE STRANGE - case study</b></p> <p> <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/kG3E9zuIsVY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="524" height="325" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> <br/><br /> <a href="http://workbookproject.com" mce_href=”http://workbookproject.com”>fund, create, distribute and sustain</a></center>