Missed the Mike Leigh Masterclass?

I hope all those who attended Thursday’s Mike Leigh Masterclass enjoyed it as much as we did.

If you weren’t one of the lucky few who had a ticket, you can see what went on here

The video of the event will also be available as fast as our editors can edit! We’ll keep you posted.

And if you haven’t seen Happy-Go-Lucky yet, it’s showing at Watershed from Fri 18th April & is highly recommended!

Bursary opportunities - SW Sound

We have a small number of bursaries for this year’s South West Sound convention at Watershed on Thurs 24 April.

Delegate passed are £45 but with the bursary you will only have to pay £5 for the full day’s events.

Email info@cineformation.com if you’re a composer or performer & are interested.

Bristol Filmmakers Festival

Here we go…details of the Bristol Filmmakers Festival and how to submit films

On the weekend of 14/15th June, the Bristol Filmmakers Festival 2008 comes to the Watershed and the Arnolfini, an event which gathers together and celebrates the independent film community in the city. Organised by three local film exhibition and network outfits – Cineformation, Bluescreen and the Misfit Collective – BFMF2008 screens a variety of the independent film work created in the city, some well-funded, some barely funded and some that come in under a tenner.

The weekend will feature a host of special screenings and provide the chance for independent filmmakers to meet, swap ideas and knowledge. More information will be released closer to the event, but we are currently calling out to independent filmmakers in the city to send in their films so that we can select the strongest programme to screen. The criteria is that the films must be submitted on DVD along with the submission form that can be obtained by emailing bfmf2008@yahoo.com – also the address to direct any questions. The deadline is Monday 26th May, and films should be sent to BFMF2008, C/o The Misfit Rising, 82 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB.

We are also inviting filmmakers to submit material to the Sweded Classics section of the Festival. Following on from Michel Gondry’s feature film Be Kind Rewind, we are looking for ‘sweded’ films, where a classic popular feature film – or extract – is refilmed with DIY inspiration and resources (and at much shorter length). Can you swede the whole of Terminator in 6 minutes? There is a later deadline for Sweded Classics: Saturday 7th June at the above address.

Missed the Film & Media event?

Thanks to all those who made it to last week’s Film & New Media event, hope you enjoyed your virals!

If you missed it, don’t worry… just click here to get a blow by blow account & to view the content.

And click here to view more photos

Mike Leigh Masterclass at Cineformation

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets to the Mike Leigh Masterclass have now been allocated but if you would still like to be added to the waiting list, please email info@cineformation.com and we’ll let you know if any tickets become available.

In the meantime – you may still be able to get a ticket to the preview screening of Mike’s new film Happy-Go-Lucky at 1930 on Wednesday 9 April in Watershed’s Cinema 1. Mike is participating in a 45 minute Q&A after the screening so you may still be able to put your questions to him. To book your ticket to the screening, please call Watershed Box Office on 0117 9275100.

Animation Bridge Masterclasses

ANIMATION BRIDGE MASTERCLASSES

Visual Structure, Bruce Block – 10 May BAFTA London

This is a rare opportunity to learn from a highly experienced US based feature film producer, Mr Bruce A. Block.

Mr. Block has served as a producer, director or creative consultant on feature films, television shows, commercials, animated films, computer games and IMAX movies. His feature film credits include: “The Holiday”, “Something’s Gotta Give”, “Stuart Little”, “As Good As It Gets”, “The Parent Trap” and “America’s Sweethearts”.

Visual structure is the only language available to picture makers yet it is often misused or simply ignored. The principles discussed in the seminar can be used for live-action or animated theatrical motion pictures, television shows, commercials, or computer games. The seminar relates all of the visual concepts to practical production and bridges the gap between theory and practice.

Visual Language and Story Structure, Frank Gladstone – 17 May, Watershed Bristol

ANIMATION BRIDGE: Visual Language and Story Structure

A day-long presentation on cinematic language and narrative story telling with award winning Frank Gladstone

Frank Gladstone has been a professional animator, producer, director, writer and teacher for nearly 35 years, first managing his own Emmy award-winning studio and then in senior positions for Disney, Warner Brothers and DreamWorks, among others. His DreamWorks credits include THE ROAD TO ELDORADO, SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON, SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS, and SHARK TALE. At Disney Animation, he worked with production teams on RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, THE LION KING, POCAHONTAS and MULAN. Frank continues to be in demand as a consultant and teacher at major studios and schools, worldwide.

This interactive, copiously illustrated and occasionally irreverent course is presented in two sessions: a lively discussion of three of the four basic elements of visual language and their use in supporting cinematic storytelling; and the forth element of visual language, Movement, is broken down into its various forms (elemental, mechanical, editorial, ocular)

Comedy Intensive Course, Steve Kaplan – 31 May, Arts Institute, Bournemouth

For more than 15 years, Steve Kaplan has been the industry’s most respected and sought-after expert on comedy. His former students’ accomplishments are unmatched: They have been nominated for 43 Emmy Awards, 1 Academy Award, 3 Golden Globe Awards, 1 American Comedy Award, 6 Writers’ Guild of America Awards and several others. They’ve WON 10 Emmys, 1 Oscar, 2 WGA Awards and the American Comedy Award.

His Comedy Intensive workshop offers proven and practical methods and principles that help you understand comedy from the inside out: Why is something funny? How do you write funny? How do you make your characters funny? How do you structure a comedy story? How do you think funny so it translates from idea to page to screen? In addition to teaching his seminar around the world (he recently taught a series of workshops and seminars in Australia) Kaplan has taught workshops to such companies as Dreamworks, Disney, HBO and others.

BOOKING

Places cost £25.00 per course and are limited to people with prior media industry experience. To get a booking form, visit the South West Screen website: www.swscreen.co.uk or email info@swscreen.co.uk.

These events are funded by South West Screen, Skillset, South West Regional Development Agency and Aardman Animations.