Blog posting by Brian McCormick, Film & Photo '12, FLEFF Intern, Wilbraham, MA

Yesterday I saw "Mississippi Damned" a phenomenal two hour look into the life of the film's writer and director Tina Mabry.

Mississippi Damned is one of the most honest films I have ever seen. It is "fiction," but, as Mabry declared to us after the screening, "95% is true." It's almost unimaginable how so much could be true. I think that is part of what makes it such an incredible film.

The movie begins with Mabry's family and friends in the '80s in a rural Mississippi. We follow them into the 90s during which we see all of the enormous hardships that these families face amidst their lives of poverty. This is Mabry's story, her personal account of everything that happened in her life, following interpretations back to when she was just a little girl.

It was a great pleasure being able to listen to Mabry talk after the screening and to ask her questions in person. Considering the emotional content of her film, Mabry warmingly offered a hug to anyone needing one after viewing the film. When asked about what it's like for her to watch the film over and over again, she describes it as having been a very therapeutic process. I can only imagine the courage it takes to show the world all of your life without holding back.

Mabry is a very strong and very driven person -- I know I will not hesitate to see her next film. Mississippi Damned is a brilliant example of how successful a story can be when you make it personal. I hope everyone had the chance to see it, and if not, get the DVD!

I hope you all have been enjoying FLEFF as much as I have, feel free to share what you've done and your thoughts on the films!

Blog posting written by Abby Sophir, Television/Radio '14, FLEFF Intern, St. Louis, Missouri.

A big thanks to Lindsay Harrop for the Live Blog of the "How to Get Your Break" panel! And of course to Karin Chien, Tina Mabry, Rodrigo Bellott and Rodrigo Brandao for a very down-to-earth, fun and informational panel. While I highly suggest reading Lindsay's blog if you have the time, for those of you in a hurry, here's a more pithy version of the advice these professionals had to give.

1. It takes determination, focus and self-motivation to move up in the industry. Even if you’re working for free printing scripts and getting coffee, don’t take the easy way out. 

2. Don’t ASK for favors, MAKE favors. In other words, make people owe you favors.

3. Going into the television industry we are told NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK. But this does not mean waving your business card in everyone’s face. It is about making genuine connections. 

4. Be knowledgeable about the industry, films, directors, etc. Know what’s going on. 

5. Don’t underestimate the importance of the business aspect of film and TV. 

Tiny Mabry's film Mississippi Damned will be showing for a second time tomorrow at 4:10 PM. I saw a showing tonight and it was fabulous! Rodrigo Bellott's film Even the Rain about water wars in Bolivia will also show for a second time tomorrow at 7:30 PM. Make sure to get to Cinemapolis early, it sold on on Thursday night! Karin Chien's award-winning film Disorder will also show tomorrow at 2:10! 

Don't miss out on these great opportunities to watch provoking films followed by intimate discussions with the directors!

Blog posting written by Lindsay Harrop, Cinema & Photography '13, FLEFF Intern, McMinnville, Oregon

The second part of my live blogging from the How to Get Your Break Panel in Williams 225:

SG: How do you get agents? How do you get someone to read your script?
TM: I'm still trying to figure that out. As a writer, what I do to get people to read my stuff is I've gone ahead and done a lot of free-lance jobs for directors and now I'm starting to turn toward television and trying to get some pilots picked up. You have to be patient and find your own way. This is waiting game too. And from the writer's perspective, I do my best to get my work out to a small group of people. I want honest feedback, even though we're really shy introverted people. I want to tell a good story.
RBr: I think it's important to remember to find your own voice and that there are a ton of production companies out there and hundreds of models of people who have fantastic, rewarding companies without the kind of adulation that people get stuck in reflecting on. It can also be about integrity, loyalty to your artistic vision and the people you work with. That's something you have to learn now because if you don't have it here you won't have it in twenty years. Some of the best people we talk about weren't trying to copy anyone - they followed their own path. It's important to de-clutter the images of success.
RBe: That's absolutely true. The film industry, Hollywood and the agencies, they work because they want to keep their jobs. Period. I don't know a single filmmaker who works with an agency who has gotten work through their agency. Literally. I don't have an agent either. I don't need one. I meet interesting people who actually want to make films instead of being worried about keeping their jobs.

SG: What do you think of the internet and how to use it as access to media and for projects?
KC: Kickstarter is a new platform that's been an incredible tool for media artists. There are films that have raised $1 million on there. It's called crowd funding. What it is is really a platform. It's up to you to drive people there and get word of mouth. It's been transformative. Indiegogo has also been successful in a different way. In terms of the other side - distribution - we've all been waiting for the internet to save distribution, and it hasn't happened. We're waiting for it to monetize. Netflix is starting to help, but only in the last year. We're still waiting for it to happen.
RBr: Netflix is really the only player and they've been leveraging their... monopoly. Or strength. My experience has been the same; Netflix is the only company bringing real sales. The DVD has been dropping and we're still scrambling to figure that out.
KC: The internet has yet to revolutionize distribution.

A: If there's anything you feel should be introduced to a Cinema-Photography curriculum, what should it be?
TM: Film business. USC taught me how to make a hell of a film, but nothing about business.
RBr: I also think these things are constantly changing and there are many things that are constantly changing. You really need a dialogue with the industry. You're not going to learn everything here [at school]. It's also important to come to the industry with other skills. Film history for example. A distribution class would be great. Or maybe workshops. Even if you just got to SXSW and go to the lectures there.
RBe: I think an industry class would help, but it wouldn't provide all the knowledge. I need to emphasize the importance of knowing the industry.
KC: I talk about distribution a lot because it's the single biggest problem for the independent industry. When I teach producing, I teach distribution and financing together.
RBr: Something else we need are more culture in real independent cinema. We need to stop talking about Hollywood and talk about the unknowns, creating a following for them on twitter and stuff. Tell your friends about smaller films.

SG: Last comments: What's the best advice you can give? One line.
KC: Know what you want.
TM: You gotta get used to rejection. it's not about the number of "No"s you get, it's that one "Yes."
RBr: Find the people you can trust.
RBe: Make yourself and your projects inevitable.

Blog posting written by Lindsay Harrop, Cinema & Photography '13, FLEFF Intern, McMinnville, Oregon

Here we are in Williams 225 with the "How to Get Your Break" Panel. Moderated by IC's Steve Gordon, we have Rodrigo Bellott (casting director of Even the Rain), Rodrigo Brandao (Kino Lorber), Karin Chien (founder and president of dGenerate Films) and Tina Mabry (writer/director of Mississippi Damned). Here's a snapshot of the great discussion we have going here:

SG: How'd you get your start?
KC: Working for free on a film. I come from a very traditional Asian-American family. I didn't know anyone in film or music and I moved to NY to get into independent film. There's a listing (a tech list) put out by the Mayor's Office that lists every production in New York. I sent out my resume every day for a month and the first person who hired me, I worked my way up from taking the trash.
TM: I didn't have any film background till I went to USC. My last semester I saw "Boys Don't Cry" and it changed my life so instead of going to law school and wracking up debt I decided to do what I love and wrack up debt and applied to the grad school. My third year I saw Jamie Bambitt was looking for a writer and I tried for it and ended up getting the job.
RBe: I have two simultaneous careers. I shot "Sexual Dependency" as a senior at IC with my friends here. Took me three years after graduation to get it finished, during which I was interning at Good Machine before it turned into Focus Features and folding clothes at Club Monoco which is probably the best job I ever had cause it taught me to be a people person. "S.D." ended up taking on a life of its own and winning lots of awards so that helped. Really the trick is hard work, focus, persistence.
RBr: I also took the internship approach. I started in Ithaca at a theater so I helped them with restoration art history and setting up film projection. After that I started one immediately at Sony Classics in NY for nine months. It's so important to do everything and learn how hard everything is. The support jobs, answering phones, everything. It was a fast learning curve. Having a lot of internships on my resume helped me get the jobs that I wanted. It's hard work. It's not pretty all the time, but you got to keep going.

SG: What do you think the "key ingredient" for getting a job and moving up is?
KC: For moving up, something between focus and determination. The truth is, the people who make it to the top in this industry may not be the nicest or even the most talented, they are the most determined. There are no rules. Your career is what you make it.
RBe: I want to comment on the determination. Biggest tip as an intern: Don't take an easy way out. Every time a celebrity came in, all the interns would run to get them coffee and stuff but I would be photocopying. Now I know all the details of legal infrastructure and all the deals made during that time. THAT'S determination and focus.
RBr: There's no set path. You need to find your niche. You need to have other sets of skills. Speak foreign languages, know programs, have business skills, that'll be the differential in the market. You need the knowledge of how you'll be used in the market, and also be building your own skills. Focus and determination are important, but that the end of the day it also comes down to what's on paper and what you can do. That's what companies want. What are you bringing to the table?

SG: What does networking mean? How do you make it work?
RBe: There's some confusion about that. Biggest secret: Don't ask for favors. MAKE favors. Your best asset is to know that people owe you favors.
TM: You can't just go into a room and start handing out business cards to everyone you meet. For me, it's about the actual relationships with people. That's what helped get our film made. Developing friendships and professional work at all times.
KC: When I first started working, my nature is very quiet and shy, and I didn't start networking till I was a producer. Leading up to that I just worked. Every single job I had, I worked my ass off. Everything I was asked to do I did, and then more. Just trying to learn as much as I could. That's all I did for a year and a half. Now, as a producer, networking is part of my job. When you're first starting out, networking is much less important than working hard.

We're still going strong and I'll post some when we're done!

Blog was written by Kelsey Greene, Documentary Studies and Production, '13, FLEFF intern, Buffalo, New York 

On Friday, April 15, a panel will be held at 4 p.m. in Williams 225 called How to Get Your Break.  This event is one everyone, I repeat everyone should try and make.  Leading media artists, Rodrigo Brandao, Rodrigo Bellott, Tina Marbry, and Karin Chien will be present to discuss insightful information and tips on what one should do to well, "get their break" in the media industry.  Ithaca College professor Steve Gordon will be moderating the panel.  The event is free and will be time well spent!  Mark your calendars and don't miss it!       

Blog posting written by Lindsay Harrop, Cinema & Photography '13, FLEFF Intern, McMinnville, Oregon

We all know that the film business is a cutthroat, rapid-fire industry. As a film student, I'm always dwelling on the question of, "How am I actually going to break into the film industry?" Lucky for me and everyone else asking this question (and I know you all are), one of the on-campus events for FLEFF is a panel on that very subject!

How to Get Your Break is going to be a FREE panel moderated by Ithaca College's own Steve Gordon and featuring filmmakers Rodrigo Brandao (director of publicity at Kino Lorber Films), Rodrigo Bellott (IC alum and casting director of "Even the Rain"), Tina Mabry (writer/director of "Mississippi Damned") and Karin Chien (president of dGenerate Films). This promises to be a great discussion of the film industry and how to make your foot in the proverbial door. All four of these filmmakers will also be screening their own films and having seperate sessions all week so take the time to see their movies before and after the panel!

The best part is that all these people are participating because they want to meet students, so make sure to come prepared with your best questions! The panel will be Friday, April 15 from 4:00-5:15pm in Williams 225. Come early to get a good seat because it's promising to be a packed house! See you there!