First FilmHouse Grants
by Roger Rose
In November, ten filmmakers got the keys to an artist's dream - up to 2,800 square feet each of production space ideally located on San Francisco's waterfront. The spaces, given to filmmakers actively engaged in various stages of production, are a part of two floors of mixed-use Embarcadero office space in the city-owned Pier 27 building.
The FilmHouse is intended to function as a vital city-sponsored workshop for local filmmakers, and is part of a new partnership between the San Francisco Film Society and the San Francisco Film Commission. The initial group of recipients includes seasoned writers and directors working on projects ranging from social documentaries to narrative features and animations.
"We are delighted to partner with the Film Society to offer production space available to local independent filmmakers," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "FilmHouse has all the makings of a new vibrant and dynamic hub for independent filmmaking in San Francisco."
The formation of the FHR comes on the heels of the collapse of the much-loved Film Arts Foundation last May. A fiscal crisis that threatened the beleaguered foundation was averted when SFFS Executive Director Graham Leggatt met with FAF trustees to discuss SFFS absorbing the FAF grant-making roster (along with a few key employees). The San Francisco Film Commission, under Stephanie Coyote's direction, then joined the mix with an offer to establish free FilmHouse Residencies in partnership with the SFFS.
The ten selected filmmakers are working on a wide variety of projects, each in different stages of production. On a visit to the creative collective at Pier 27, we had a chance to chat with three of the filmmakers. Adjacent to Teatro Zinzanni, the space is located directly off Lombard on the Embarcadero, literally over the water.
We found Lise Swenson in front of her laptop while fielding a phone call. Swenson, who has received numerous film awards, including a Creative Work Fund grant, moved quickly to submit her grant proposal: "When SFFS assumed Film Arts' function, I got the SFFS news alert. I'm a pretty strong grant writer, thank God. So I applied for it, I wrote it - and got it!"
Over the next six months, the funds that Swenson raises will determine exactly what kind of equipment she uses: "The Red Camera, of course. If it's not the Red, it might be an ATX-100 or the new Sony FX - we don't know yet."
Swenson acknowledged some of the experienced industry veterans who signed on to guide her, including Gail Silva, Diana Fuller, and legal counsel George Rush. For Swenson, this project is an adventure and a process of learning how to manage multiple limited budgets: "I'm becoming more of a business person - making films that get sold. Can't have huge debt and a nice film on the shelf."
Tiffany Shlain, who founded the Webby Awards and co-founded of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, has made films that have been selected for over 100 film festivals (including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam). "This is really the dream space, in a great section of San Francisco with a lot of other filmmakers. There are vintage trolleys and horse-and-buggies going by, young lovers strolling by. The Ferry Building is like Grand Central Station on the waterfront."
(X) Shlain had been struggling in cramped quarters: "We had been editing in a 4x4 foot medical exam room, which was a little ridiculous. Patients would ask the doctor, 'What's going on in there?' It's also been a fantasy of mine to work with other filmmakers. I'm a real believer in a creative community, because so often filmmaking can be solitary."
Internationally acclaimed Dina Ciraulo, working upstairs, has been featured in select film festivals, including the Telluride and South by Southwest, among others. She was selected to bring Opal to the prestigious Producer's Network at the Cannes Film Festival and to the 'No Borders' section of Independent Film Week in NYC.
Producers Jason Cohen and Rachel Benson, who were the driving forces during production Opal, assisted Ciraulo: "We had our first meeting the day we got the key, and decided immediately to use the space to strategize on post-production and distribution. So now we're working on sound design, visual effects, and festival submissions."
The film was shot in Super-16 by DP was Svetlana Cvetko, who Ciraulo met at a BAWIFT panel. "I courted her for a year before we shot. Every few months I'd call her and we'd go out to lunch, and I'd tell her about our pre-production progress. The film was telecined to HD at Spypost, so that we could take advantage of low-cost digital effects, and finish the film in HD."
For Ciraulo, Swenson, Shlain - and the seven other distinguished filmmakers - the FilmHouse residencies presented an unforeseen opportunity. They had no idea that when Graham Leggat and the San Francisco Film Society moved to preserve FAF's programs, the new entity would lead to new programs, partnerships, and never-before-imagined possibilities for Bay Area filmmakers. Says Ciraulo, "It's also inspiring to be sharing the building with so many creative people at different stages of production. You feel less alone."
More than that, the coveted residencies lend a credibility to the recipients. Swenson speaks for all the awardees: "Receiving the FilmHouse Residencies helped make this film real. It's been real for me, but now it's really real."
Find more info in the SFFS Press Room at http://www.sffs.org.
SIDEBAR
The First Ten
The first ten filmmakers selected for FilmHouse Residencies are:
Dina Ciraulo (six-month residency) is in postproduction on her narrative feature, Opal.
Arwen Lee Curry (six months) is in preproduction on his first documentary, centered on the life of sci-fi writer Ursula K Le Guin.
Sara McPherson (six months) is in post on her documentary about the unseen immigrant communities living and working on American racetracks.
David Munro (three months) is writing a post-punk satiro-drama, The Inferiors, adapted from a graphic novel.
Tamara Perkins (six months) is in post for her social documentary, The Trust, which explores a unique angle on life inside prison walls.
BAVC instructor Yoav Potash (one-months) will write a documentary about the largest women's prison in the world.
Kate Shermerhorn (three months) is completing her documentary, which explores the great debate on marriage's modern-day solvency.
Tiffany Shlain (six months) is in productionon Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence: A New Conversation About the Birds and the Bees.
Greg Sirota (three months) will be writing his narrative feature, New Eyes.
Lise Swenson (six months) is just beginning preproduction for Saltwater, a tender narrative set in California's stunning Salton Sea. Posted on Jan 05, 2009 - 03:04 PM
by Roger Rose
In November, ten filmmakers got the keys to an artist's dream - up to 2,800 square feet each of production space ideally located on San Francisco's waterfront. The spaces, given to filmmakers actively engaged in various stages of production, are a part of two floors of mixed-use Embarcadero office space in the city-owned Pier 27 building.
The FilmHouse is intended to function as a vital city-sponsored workshop for local filmmakers, and is part of a new partnership between the San Francisco Film Society and the San Francisco Film Commission. The initial group of recipients includes seasoned writers and directors working on projects ranging from social documentaries to narrative features and animations.
"We are delighted to partner with the Film Society to offer production space available to local independent filmmakers," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "FilmHouse has all the makings of a new vibrant and dynamic hub for independent filmmaking in San Francisco."
The formation of the FHR comes on the heels of the collapse of the much-loved Film Arts Foundation last May. A fiscal crisis that threatened the beleaguered foundation was averted when SFFS Executive Director Graham Leggatt met with FAF trustees to discuss SFFS absorbing the FAF grant-making roster (along with a few key employees). The San Francisco Film Commission, under Stephanie Coyote's direction, then joined the mix with an offer to establish free FilmHouse Residencies in partnership with the SFFS.
The ten selected filmmakers are working on a wide variety of projects, each in different stages of production. On a visit to the creative collective at Pier 27, we had a chance to chat with three of the filmmakers. Adjacent to Teatro Zinzanni, the space is located directly off Lombard on the Embarcadero, literally over the water.
We found Lise Swenson in front of her laptop while fielding a phone call. Swenson, who has received numerous film awards, including a Creative Work Fund grant, moved quickly to submit her grant proposal: "When SFFS assumed Film Arts' function, I got the SFFS news alert. I'm a pretty strong grant writer, thank God. So I applied for it, I wrote it - and got it!"
Over the next six months, the funds that Swenson raises will determine exactly what kind of equipment she uses: "The Red Camera, of course. If it's not the Red, it might be an ATX-100 or the new Sony FX - we don't know yet."
Swenson acknowledged some of the experienced industry veterans who signed on to guide her, including Gail Silva, Diana Fuller, and legal counsel George Rush. For Swenson, this project is an adventure and a process of learning how to manage multiple limited budgets: "I'm becoming more of a business person - making films that get sold. Can't have huge debt and a nice film on the shelf."
Tiffany Shlain, who founded the Webby Awards and co-founded of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, has made films that have been selected for over 100 film festivals (including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam). "This is really the dream space, in a great section of San Francisco with a lot of other filmmakers. There are vintage trolleys and horse-and-buggies going by, young lovers strolling by. The Ferry Building is like Grand Central Station on the waterfront."
(X) Shlain had been struggling in cramped quarters: "We had been editing in a 4x4 foot medical exam room, which was a little ridiculous. Patients would ask the doctor, 'What's going on in there?' It's also been a fantasy of mine to work with other filmmakers. I'm a real believer in a creative community, because so often filmmaking can be solitary."
Internationally acclaimed Dina Ciraulo, working upstairs, has been featured in select film festivals, including the Telluride and South by Southwest, among others. She was selected to bring Opal to the prestigious Producer's Network at the Cannes Film Festival and to the 'No Borders' section of Independent Film Week in NYC.
Producers Jason Cohen and Rachel Benson, who were the driving forces during production Opal, assisted Ciraulo: "We had our first meeting the day we got the key, and decided immediately to use the space to strategize on post-production and distribution. So now we're working on sound design, visual effects, and festival submissions."
The film was shot in Super-16 by DP was Svetlana Cvetko, who Ciraulo met at a BAWIFT panel. "I courted her for a year before we shot. Every few months I'd call her and we'd go out to lunch, and I'd tell her about our pre-production progress. The film was telecined to HD at Spypost, so that we could take advantage of low-cost digital effects, and finish the film in HD."
For Ciraulo, Swenson, Shlain - and the seven other distinguished filmmakers - the FilmHouse residencies presented an unforeseen opportunity. They had no idea that when Graham Leggat and the San Francisco Film Society moved to preserve FAF's programs, the new entity would lead to new programs, partnerships, and never-before-imagined possibilities for Bay Area filmmakers. Says Ciraulo, "It's also inspiring to be sharing the building with so many creative people at different stages of production. You feel less alone."
More than that, the coveted residencies lend a credibility to the recipients. Swenson speaks for all the awardees: "Receiving the FilmHouse Residencies helped make this film real. It's been real for me, but now it's really real."
Find more info in the SFFS Press Room at http://www.sffs.org.
SIDEBAR
The First Ten
The first ten filmmakers selected for FilmHouse Residencies are:
Dina Ciraulo (six-month residency) is in postproduction on her narrative feature, Opal.
Arwen Lee Curry (six months) is in preproduction on his first documentary, centered on the life of sci-fi writer Ursula K Le Guin.
Sara McPherson (six months) is in post on her documentary about the unseen immigrant communities living and working on American racetracks.
David Munro (three months) is writing a post-punk satiro-drama, The Inferiors, adapted from a graphic novel.
Tamara Perkins (six months) is in post for her social documentary, The Trust, which explores a unique angle on life inside prison walls.
BAVC instructor Yoav Potash (one-months) will write a documentary about the largest women's prison in the world.
Kate Shermerhorn (three months) is completing her documentary, which explores the great debate on marriage's modern-day solvency.
Tiffany Shlain (six months) is in productionon Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence: A New Conversation About the Birds and the Bees.
Greg Sirota (three months) will be writing his narrative feature, New Eyes.
Lise Swenson (six months) is just beginning preproduction for Saltwater, a tender narrative set in California's stunning Salton Sea. Posted on Jan 05, 2009 - 03:04 PM
