Please contact us
with corrections
or breaking news
East Bay Film Group by Carl Brown
I am not a team player... never have been ... not a joiner... I'm just not wired that way. But after working the last seven years as an independent business owner and freelance filmmaker and video producer, I have begun to really crave some community - a group of other creative professionals that I can grow with, learn from, and most importantly, work alongside.
The Brothers Gear Up to confront their hidden tragedy in Jon Bowden’s “The Full Picture.” photo One Big Head Films
So one night, after spending the evening in San Jose at the monthly Bay Area Professional Videographer's Association (BAPVA) get-together, I thought "Why am I driving 100 miles roundtrip to try and build my community?" I decided we need something similar in the East Bay, a group composed of the professional film and video producers living and working around here. Instead of focusing on wedding video-graphers, I wanted to create a group for professional filmmakers and video producers.
I started spreading the word and last fall hosted a small group of East Bay industry folks for pizza and beer. They all loved the idea and were craving the same thing. Then we all got busy, and the holidays hit, and before we knew it six months had flown by without another gathering. This spring I reached out Michael Coleman, the East Bay shooter and producer.
At a new eatery in our hood, Actual Café, we discussed what we wanted the group to be. We both agreed it needed to be an opportunity for professionals who are shooting, directing, producing, editing, creating motion graphics, sound etc. to get together and discuss new technology, techniques, and trends - to screen work and learn from each other.
After a few months of spreading the word and cafe meetings, we gained a bit of traction. Receiving support from East Bay institutions like Ex'pressions College and Oakland's Film Office, we just hosted our third and most successful meet-up with guest speaker Bill Holshevnikoff. The turnout was great - a packed classroom at Ex'pressions College -- and Bill, an award-winning director of photography, lighting designer, and educator, was on fire.
Bill has been lighting and shooting broadcast, corporate and documentary programming for over 25 years. He has taught his "Power of Lighting" workshops to thousands of film, television and corporate video pros throughout North America and around the globe. In two-plus hours, he led 45 rapt filmmakers through the nuances of three-dimensional lighting. Even as someone who has taken his full-length workshop and spends a lot of time lighting on location, I always learn something new or am reminded of a technique I've forgotten.
The East Bay Filmmaker's Meet-Up is every third Thursday of the month, at Ex'pressions College, 6601 Shellmound St, Emeryville, 7-9 p.m. See Facebook: East Bay Filmmaker's Meet-Up, the blog: http://www.ebpfm.wordpress.com.
Carl D. Brown is the executive director of Corduroy Media: Posted on Aug 13, 2010 - 09:46 AM