Day 2 of this four-day course on microbudget moviemaking focuses on the specifics of production, from shooting techniques, to lighting on the cheap, to crew positions you need (and don't need), to costuming, props, and set decorating for as little money as possible. Panelists for the class include Valerie Perez (producer/star of the Paula Peril series), Vera Vanguard (producer of The Building of Good and Evil), Nick Murphy (writer/director of Pizza and Bullets), Jack Conway (producer of Machinima ETC ), and Sean Rourke (writer of Ballistica).
Constantly running away in a world that doesn't accept him, a man will have to find, in the depths of himself, a way to turn his difference into a strength. He will then be able to stop hiding. Participating panelists include Bastien Belvaux (director/animator).
The Retribution Industry is born: You pay cash, they kick ass. Second-generation martial arts mega-duo Ebony & Ivory embark on their first live broadcast mission with their team at Justice-For-Hire, Inc. Adapted from the critically acclaimed and most downloaded MMA comic book series. Participating panelists include Jan Lucanus (co-creator and director), Zach Shelton (lead animator), and voice actor Ahmed Best (Star Wars and Robot Chicken).
An adaptation of Walt Curtis's poemThe Time the Drunk Came to Town and Got Drunker Than a Skunk, or So He Thought, about a western town that torments the local drunk. Animator/director Bill Plympton (Idiots and Angels, Cheatin') will introduce the film.
When Emily is kidnapped by foxes and forced to work in the secret underground blue goo mines, she must use her determination to get back home only to uncover the foxes' secret plan. Introducing the film will be director James Stewart.
Meet Ed and his extraordinary life. Fifty years of an unforgettable journey. Many loves, adventures and remarkable stories. What nobody knows is why Ed wants to end it. Participating panelists include Gabriel Garcia (director) and Messias Cunha (animation supervisor).
A young mad scientist sets out to create a pet monster within parallel worlds of an imaginary laboratory and the reality of the boy's bedroom. A comedic, handcrafted stop-motion film, shot entirely in a dorm room. Participating panelists include Dan MacKenzie (director) and Scott Kennell (creative assistant).
This film was produced in a one shot-movement. In a hotel hallway, the camera plunges into the microcosm of the corridor carpet. Between crystal structures and inhabitants of this world, we see an American house dust mite at work.
An animated heavy metal rock opera about a self-proclaimed pancake master who demands Satan to answer the looming question that will unravel the core of his consciousness: Why does he make pancakes? Participating panelists include Ari Grabb (animator and director)and Gabriel Acosta (sound mixer).
From creator Chris Moore (Project Greenlight, American Pie, Good Will Hunting) and producer Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Heroes, Margin Call), The Chair is a documentary competition series that follows two first- time feature directors, Shane Dawson (ShaneDawsonTV on YouTube) and Anna Martemucci (Break Up at a Wedding), each given the same screenplay and budget to make their own films. Zachary Quinto and both directors, as well as screenwriter Dan Schoffer and producer Josh Shader, join together for a panel moderated by Chris Moore, including exclusive clips from both films (Untitled Shane Dawson Movie and Hollidaysburg) and from the Starz TV show, premiering this fall.
Tomas live in a small trailer on the outskirts of the city. One day at school he is commissioned to write a short essay about his father, an active products industry worker.
When Doug lands a date with Rita, he's finally got a shot at happiness-but only if he can keep his humanity concealed until he convinces her that it's okay when some like it bot. Participating panelists include Russell Nauman (twenties: the series), Alex U. Griffin (director, Under the Sand), and Jessica Ruth Goldberg (writer,Zombie Addiction).
After a bizarre body switch, Doug, a shy puppeteer, finds himself inside the body of his ventriloquist puppet, Sid, while Sid has now come to life and taken over Doug's body. Doug has to learn to gain control of Sid before Sid gains control of the woman Doug loves. Participating panelists include Jason Baumgardner (The League), Alex Griffin (Some Like it Bot), and Michael Van Orden (Called to Serve).
On a mission he is neither equipped for nor completely understands, wannabe hero Alec protects Aurora, the girl of his dreams, from an army of deadly ninjas. Alec tries to remain distant, but as he finds himself falling for Aurora, a number of potentially deadly secrets threaten to tear them apart.
Matthew Benson wakes up excited to celebrate his birthday. However, as his day progresses, it gradually dawns on him that nobody else seems to have remembered this special date. Participating panelists include Chester Howie (director/producer), Ryan Zwirner (writer/producer), and Matthew B. Walsh (actor).
Two robotic blue-collar workers take a brief hiatus to discuss delusions of grandeur. Participating panelists include Diego Kontarovsky (co-writer) and Alejandro Kontarovsky (co-writer).
A little girl's favorite stuffed animal is kidnapped and brought to life by her evil genius baby brother. Fluffystein was written by a group of 6th graders for the 2013 Pens to Lens student screenwriting competition. Participating panelists include Matt Shivers (voice actor/sound designer), Thomas Nicol (director/animator), and Anne Lukeman (Pens to Lens program producer).
A 20-minute documentary chronicling the evolution of the most popular zombie franchise from comic book to TV show. The documentary includes interviews with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, actor/comedian Patton Oswalt, actor Chris Hardwick, as well as members of the AMC series The Walking Dead.
Featuring the first recorded interview with Calvin & Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson, this documentary is the ultimate love-letter to comic strips. The films brings together over 60 of the world's best cartoonists behind strips, includingGarfield, Cathy, Foxtrot, Mutts, Penny Arcade, The Oatmeal, Hark A Vagrant, and more-to talk about the past, present, and future of comic strips and what happens to the artform as it moves from print to pixels. Participating panelists include directors Dave Kellett (Sheldon) and Fred Schroeder (Four Sheet to the Wind).
Through interviews with prominent artists, scholars, and cultural critics along with images from the comic books themselves, this film examines the degree to which early black superheroes generally adhered to common stereotypes about Black men. From the humorous to the offensive, early black superheroes are critically considered. Participating panelists include Jonathan Gayles (Georgia State University, writer/producer/director), Julian Chambliss (Rollins College, co-editor: Ages of Heroes, Eras of Men), and Adilifu Nama (Loyola Marymonut, author ofSuper Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes).
Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, The X-Men-characters recognized all over the world, gaining wider popularity through television and film. What may not be as well known is that for several decades, Filipinos have contributed significantly to these and other characters' mythologies. Illustrated By is a documentary tracing the phenomenon of Filipinos breaking into the U.S. mainstream. The film aims to pay tribute to many of these ignored, unacknowledged talents and showcase their gorgeous artwork.
Before Mickey there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. During Walt Disney's early career in animation, he created and animated a cartoon rabbit for Universal Studios. The rabbit was mischievous, cheeky and fun: an instant hit. But when Walt lost the rights to Oswald, he replaced him with Mickey Mouse, and the most beloved cartoon character of the '20s was lost and forgotten in time, replaced by his younger brother.
