Women of the film industry and International Film Collectives

[1]

Film Fatales is a collective of women filmmakers based in New York City. The concept is simple: to support and mentor other women in the industry through meetings held the first Monday of the month.

Firm believers of small gatherings, collectives like theirs provides a safe environment to share industry resources, insights to resolve production problems and ideas overcoming finance obstacles.

All Film Fatales members are writers/directors and have produced one feature length film in the genres of narrative or documentary.

The collective hopes to promote the creation of more stories by and about women. London has already formed its own Film Fatales group, New Orleans and several other cities across the US.

If you want to create your own Film Fatales group, contact the organizers in New York city, they will guide you step by step in the process. I was present last night for the Film Fatales panel discussion organized by IFP (Independent Feature Project) at the Made in New York Media Center.

[2]

Collabfeature is a new collective that connects independent filmmakers to mufti-direct features internationally. Each filmmaker will direct in their own country. How cool is that! I found out about Collabfeature through mandy.com. I am a frequent visitor of mandy.com while searching  for that new opportunity I can be of extraordinary service in my field.

 

 

 

 

 

Technology or dinosaurs?

It was announced most recently, a filmmakers new feature is now available on Vimeo on demand. The rental fee is $5.00.

About a month ago I attended a three-day conference online that was recorded with webcams. In spite the particular audiovisual technology used, I had a rich educational experience.

“Art and technology changes. We need to embrace it otherwise we become dinosaurs.” I heart these words tonight at the Inventing the Night Film Conversation from the cinematographer Anastas Michos. The event was held at the New York Film Academy.

Many artists stumble upon the decisions they have to make in selecting the tools to develop their creative projects. In film, the debate is between the celluloid (traditional film) or digital image quality. I believe it is a bonus, knowing how to use the old and the new, one can decide the tools that suits their artistic vision best.

Blaze is an independent dog with a mind on his own!

This is a picture of a strange growth developed at Blazes left paw (the gray and white spot). It is thick skin that grows around the pads.

I freaked out the first day I noticed. A tumor? this and other thoughts crossed my mind. He did not have difficulty to walk. I wanted to sanitize the area with iodine solution for infection. But his fleshy underparts are personal territory to Blaze. He would not let me take a closer look.

When Blaze says “no” he means it. I chase after him in the apartment. He growls if he must, i let him be. Blaze is of the independent ones. Alluring him to the bathroom which is a small area took considerate effort and half a bag of treats. When I reached my goal to sanitize all four paws, I felt I took the first step to help my dog.

Apparently this condition may come with age, Blaze turns nine this year. I reached to that conclusion after online search. I typed “strange growth, paw” at Google’s search engine and got a plethora of medical information on dog skin conditions.

The next afternoon, Blaze was lying on my bed, very relaxed. There was my chance to check on his growth. I approached slowly and pet him to ease him in. He welcomed wagging his tail. To my surprise he allowed me to lift his paw and examine it. When I looked closer, the growth was gone! Blaze chewed it off! He let a trail of small pieces of skin  spread around him.

I suppose my dog had enough of my invasive tactics and took charge of the matter for himself; he cut his growth off.

 

P.S. I am scheduled to check with his vet however. In his mature years he needs preventive care.

Real life and Art

In real life some artists may never proclaim their artistry. They may never distribute their product of work at an art gallery, or be known to a wider audience for their craft.  Successful creative-making is that which brings balance into a person’s life, a product developed through their labor of love.

Karen Spencer is one of my colleagues, a librarian by training, and the designer of this beautiful purse. She surprised me with this gift last August when we met last time, before my departure from Buffalo, New York. I already used the purse in the city of New York and it got attention, because it is simply unique.

This masterpiece is made from different used ties Karen collected over the years. She started sewing at a very young age and I can attest, her technique is flawless. Throughout the years Karen created bed quilts, table coasters, decorative quilts, wash clothes, all from used clothing.

P.S. I took the photography with my 4S i-phone. I did not edit the stills at all, a day light shot right before noon.