Unofficial Guide to South By Southwest 2014

Ever feel a little bit like Goldilocks in the world of cameras? Wandering among all of your options in an attempt to figure out which one is “just right” for you? Just like the age-old tale, filmmakers today need to know how to examine their choices and not settle for something that doesn’t suit their needs.
Join modern-day Goldilocks, Bob Caniglia, as he examines and tests the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Blackmagic Production Camera 4K. Bob will discuss the cameras’ features, different applications, use cases and production and post production workflows, and will explain how to find the camera that’s “just right” for you.

View official listing on sxsw.com
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP24379

This hands-on workshop setting will allow participants to work individually with top Casting Directors on their audition technique.
Participants will prepare their own material and will have ten minutes with a Casting Director to perform and receive feedback on their "audition".
Casting Directors will address Headshot and resumes as well as performance and give substantive feedback and/ or re-direction in order to best prepare you for your next real-life audition.
Material must be no longer than two minutes, either a monologue or a scene. If bringing a scene, please bring an extra copy of the sides for the Casting Director and your headshot and resume.
Bringing your own material ensures you can be as prepared as possible for this audition technique master class. It also allows the Casting Director to see how you would cast yourself and give you personal advice.
This is your opportunity to work with some of the best Casting Directors that you might otherwise not have access to.

View official listing on sxsw.com
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP22843

Come learn the basics of action and stunt fighting from legendary stuntman, stunt coordinator and director for over 35 years, Bobby Sargent, who has performed many of the most spectacular stunts in motion picture history. Learn what makes a hit, and what sells it, what makes the action sequences we love work. Learn the basic rules for creating and shooting action, basic safety, blocking choreography, how to do good looking action on a low budget. Mr. Sargent will go into his wide experience in preparing and improving action for the many great directors he's worked with, and demonstrate the basics using trained stunt people, and members of the audience.

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http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP18528

In this session, Adobe Worldwide Evangelist Jason Levine will cover a video workflow from capture and logging, to building rough cuts and grading your footage through delivering your content anywhere, including Behance, now part of Adobe. This session will feature Adobe Creative Cloud, including Prelude CC, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe SpeedGrade CC and Adobe Media Encoder CC. See how Adobe Creative Cloud tools can work in your workflow.

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http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP28545

"We need to develop a sustainable investor class that supports the artists and benefits from doing so." - Ted Hope, Executive Director, San Francisco Film Society
Traditionally, Investments in Independent Film are a high risk - low reward proposition - even in the case of hit films. Why is this the case? What can be done to correct these unhealthy underlying economics which are the foundation of the independent film industry.

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http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP25342

Your film is complete, you’ve had a great premier, and you’re in deep negotiations with a distributor, so what’s the problem? Perhaps it’s that you’ve stretched your budget as thin as possible to make it this far and now you’re learning that no deal will be complete without a long list of deliverables. These deliverables add a significant expense to a production’s budget, and those expenses are intensified if proper attention hasn’t been paid from the early stages. Deliverables Today will dissect a standard delivery sheet for an independent film to a distributor, looking at what items a distributor requires and why. We will examine some of the often-overlooked elements that filmmakers should be thinking about throughout production that will help down the line when a deal is in place.

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http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP990730

Legendary comic actor Jeffrey Tambor (The Larry Sanders Show, Arrested Development) returns to SXSW for another edition of his Acting Workshop. Over the past four decades, Tambor has been an inspiration both on and off-screen, bringing many iconic characters to life while cultivating a uniquely personal approach to his craft. In past years the event has included collaborations with some of SXSW's favorite performers; part mentor session, part open discussion, Tambor's workshop guides two up-and-coming actors through a scripted scene in a hands-on exploration of their process. The empowering session focuses on identifying and conquering the fears that keep us from trusting our own creative voices.
This year, his highly acclaimed, annual SXSW Film event will be a Convergence session, and will be open to all Film and Interactive registrants.

View official listing on sxsw.com
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP990732

The best copywriting seems effortless. Seems. 
Behind that deceptively simple veneer lie crippling decisions and endless revisions. Don't be intimidated: the power to captivate consumers is within your grasp.
Led by TED Talk alum Jean Tang, this intimate workshop cultivates the tools necessary to enliven your web, mobile, print, or personal marketing content—any copywriting project you're tackling. 
Bring us a piece of your marketing copy: a homepage, blog, branded message, tagline, bio, or social media profile. We’ll provide a thoughtful critique and actionable redrafting plan. Walk-ins welcome.
This workshop is presented by MarketSmiths, a copywriting agency devoted to replacing generic commercial content with the careful strategy of words.
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Jean Tang began copywriting at the age of 4. That’s when she started swallowing books whole—and training her brain to organize itself on paper. Later, she went to Juilliard (piano) and Cornell (business & fashion), became a lawyer (honors graduate), and then a journalist and cookbook author documenting lavish meals and travels for New York Magazine, The New York Times, and other top publications.
In 2007, Jean saw the need for a 2.6-second website: bite-sized, seductive, and jargon-free. She gathered other writers to help, and launched MarketSmiths, a creative copywriting agency dedicated to replacing generic content with the careful strategy of words.
Jean’s own writing draws liberally from her background as a luxury travel and food writer. She weaves dazzling imagery together with razor-sharp precision, and sets it to a rhythm that’s pleasing to the brain. She is a ‘word photographer’: able to grasp the mundane or abstract—and bring it to vivid life.
In 2012, Jean gave an 18-minute talk on copywriting at TEDxGramercy. She frequently speaks about high-end copywriting as fresh, 21st century literature.

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http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_OE02868

On average each of has five "screens" in our lives and we're bombarded with more than 10,000 messages a day. No wonder social entrepreneurs, early-stage brands and non-profits face unique challenges getting their stories heard in today's cluttered, text-happy "culture of interruption." Learn effective brand storytelling by working on a real-world communications challenge in this interactive jam session. You and your fellow Social Good Hub participants will break into teams led by veteran storytellers to create a new engagement campaign for the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. In addition to generating viable concepts that will help end domestic violence and sexual assault, you'll internalize the dynamics of effective brand storytelling and walk with tools you can apply to your organization's marketing communications efforts.
Hosted by Mitch Baranowski, Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer of BBMG

View official listing on sxsw.com
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_OE03025

Filmmakers are increasingly using digital marketing tools to make their films "sticky". Social media and contests and sweepstakes drive traffic to the filmmakers' sites. Solicitation of user-generated content keep fans interested. E-mail marketing and blogger advocacy keeps fans coming back. And tracking the fan activity can help filmmakers entice investors and distributors and/or market their films more efficiently. Clearly, a tremendous upside for a small budget. However, all of this upside comes with potentially high risk for those who don't know how to navigate this highly-regulated area of the law. In this very practical workshop, filmmakers will learn how to develop legally-compliant sweeps and contests, solicit user-generated content with legal immunity, run an e-mail campaign without running afoul of the federal CAN SPAM Act, comply with social media sites' promotional guidelines, and utilize brand advocates without violating the FTC's Endorsement Guidelines.

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http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP26168

An artist's work is never limited by boundaries, but legal realities sometimes beg to differ. Among other legal concerns, professional artists who work internationally must consider their immigration status in the countries where they plan to work. This workshop will review the U.S. immigration process for film industry professionals from abroad who wish to work in the U.S. U.S.-based employers seeking to hire individuals from abroad, as well as film industry entrepreneurs are all encouraged to attend. We will discuss the procedures, timelines, and expenses associated with procuring a visa, as well as gain a clear understanding of the complex requirements of the visa process.

View official listing on sxsw.com
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_FP19109

Come see human-centered design teams led by IDEO.org and the Stanford d.school present their findings from three days of design research, brainstorming, and prototyping during SXSW.
Read the workshop description and sign up at http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP23795.

View official listing on sxsw.com
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_OE03027