Educational Seminars 2023

Through this seminar filmmaker & founder of Dawning Film Productions, Megan MacDonald, and Filmmaker Morgan Elliott, will discuss the challenges of producing a film in a rural area. You will learn how to utilize local and international resources to get the most out of your film: from adapting a script to fit project parameters, to utilizing local artists and funding sources, to getting the most out of your finished film through unique venues and screening opportunities. This workshop is all about thinking outside the box, using the resources available to you, and forging your own path through film production. There is no wrong way to make a film.

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Join us for an Interactive session with three filmmakers who will share their varied backgrounds and experiences. We'll discuss, and answer your questions on how to research your subject, find your story, various fundraising strategies, and distribution options in the context of our own work.

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CINEMATOGRAPHERS DIALOGUE will provide engaging topics to discuss including Q & A interaction with the audience. The panelists will provide film excerpts to illustrate their conversation which can be anything from de-constructing a scene, DP/Director relationship explored, post-production applications to how we apply the appropriate visual grammar when addressing the idea, mood and emotion of a scene.

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This special session walks through the creative process of taking an idea from initial inspiration to a presentable pitch. Learn the ways to shape the vast worlds living within your imagination and work on developing your own idea into reality. This is often the most difficult and frustrating part of the creative process because it feels so undefined and impossible to get right.

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This special session walks through the creative process of taking an idea from initial inspiration to a presentable pitch. Learn the ways to shape the vast worlds living within your imagination and work on developing your own idea into reality. This is often the most difficult and frustrating part of the creative process because it feels so undefined and impossible to get right.

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Join Eric Granger, Jerry Stoeffhaas, and Michael Hanson to discuss scouting, permitting, and the breathtaking sites in the Adirondacks. Whether it is Great Camps, small deserted cabins, waterfalls, misty ponds, or the “Big Water” of Lake Champlain, your presenters will share their their secrets, their experience and their techniques. Electricians, extras, sound crews, video technicians, and make up artists are available to assist. Tax Credits available for filming in the park will be discussed.

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Co-presented with The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. Many a budding filmmaker has gathered their friends, picked up a camera, and with script pages clutched in their hands, thrown themselves into making a film. And many of them have chosen the horror genre to tell their story. Horror lends itself the indie filmmaking spirit, and with the variety of equipment readily available, the possibilities are endless. What does it mean to make your own horror film: how do you find a story, get a cast and crew, how do you find locations, and what supplies do you need? With filmmakers Daniel Byers, Lucky Cerruti, and Matt Sorenson, we’ll discuss the advantages of horror for micro-budget filmmaker, and what you’ll need to know and do make it happen. Moderated by Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Executive Director of the Miskatonic Institute.

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A comprehensive guide to the creative, business, and audience cycles of the TV industry. Discover the step-by-step process from creative ideation through business representation (agents & managers) to distribution. Take a look into why the film arts are vastly different from the TV arts, and determine where your preference lies as you explore the links between the many different creative roles. This workshop is the foundation for everything else you'll do in the TV industry.

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As a filmmaker, learn what you should be looking for, what traits stand out, and how you should best coach your acting team after they have been selected. Learn what actors are looking for, and how to form a motivated, focused and energized acting coterie for your next film. Learn the fundamentals of engaging a Casting Director.

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Modern science fiction is about a whole lot more than little green men. From Star Trek to Arrival, science fiction world-building allows artists to explore political and cultural issues, and build idealized, equitable societies. Join us as we talk with a diverse group of indie content creators paving the way in genre filmmaking. Hosted by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and Upstate Women in Film & Television (UPWIFT).

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Join the leadership of the Lake Placid Film Festival in a conversation about maximizing the benefits of the Film Festival Experience. Share creative input for the 2023 LPFF Experience. Learn what the LPFF Team feels is important to provide, and discuss where improvements can be made for the 2023 experience.

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