Category Archives: Workshops & Tips

The Business of Show Biz: Career Intensive for Actors

Posted on by

Only a very small portion of an actor’s time is spent acting.

The successful actor spends the majority of his or her time pursuing work. The business of acting is this pursuit.

While there exists a dizzying array of acting classes, it is difficult to find a class or workshop that covers the work getting, marketing tips and techniques that are the tools for building a career.

Without these tools it is possible to continue acting every now and then as a hobby indefinitely. However, if building a career is your goal this workshop is for you. In this class you will:

*Create an effective Picture and Resume
*Organize your life around your goals
*Avoid industry scams
*Meet with a SAG/AFTRA franchised Talent Agent
*Learn to market yourself and more

When:
8 Wednesdays, March 3 – April 28

Where:
The Phoenix Theater Annex
414 Mason Street, San Francisco

Time:
11am – 2pm

Fee:

  • Before 2/17/10 $250. per month Early Bird Special!
  • After 2/17/10 $275 per month
  • Register early, class size is limited
Velina Brown is a busy stage, screen, and voice over actor, with credits at the Tony and Obie award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe, ACT, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the Magic Theater among others. Recent screen credits include Trauma, Bee Season, Maladaptive, and Milk.

For the past two years she has also been a career advice columnist for Theater Bay Area Magazine.

Velina@businessofshowbiz.com
(415) 928-0592

www.BusinessofShowbiz.com

Looking for Talent!! Conscious female rappers/artists/dancers/poets, etc…

Posted on by

———————–
DISCLAIMER: This event is NOT sponsored or hosted by the IBWFF. This is a re-post. As with any audition or casting call announcement, you are strongly encouraged to use your best judgment in attending an audition or casting call. It is your responsibility to contact local authorities if you suspect illegal activities, exploitation or violence from the hosts, attendees or other parties in attendance
———————–

DEADLINES:
**PLEASE APPLY BY JANUARY 5TH, 2010 FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION**
**LAST DAY TO APPLY IS JAN. 12TH, 2010**

Are you a FEMALE MC with a slick flow, crazy style, and great stage presence? Or are you a FEMALE VISUAL ARTIST, SPOKEN WORD POET, or DANCER? Are you also politically conscious and inspire others through your work?

If so please apply for Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, Vol. 3: Back To Our Roots, Environmental Justice, Education Equality

We are looking for conscious female rappers/artists/dancers/poets, etc… Who are interested in performing on:
Saturday March 6th, 2010
at Hostos Community College
in the Bronx
for
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, Vol. 3: Back To Our Roots, Environmental Justice, Education Equality

If interested please apply by:

  1. Going online to www.mhhk.org
  2. Click on “Vol. 3: 2010”
  3. On the left hand side of the page you will see the link “Participant Application”
  4. Click that link, and apply!

Please email hiphopkitchen@gmail.com if you have any questions

**PLEASE APPLY BY JANUARY 5TH, 2010 FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION**
**LAST DAY TO APPLY IS JAN. 12TH, 2010**

Description of the Event:
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen Volume 3, Back to Our Roots, will be honoring International Women’s Month by shedding light and creating awareness on Environmental Injustices and Educational Inequalities and their impact on women of color.
Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen will bring together women of color educators, students, environmentalists, djs, emcees, b-girls, poets, visual artists, dancers, healers, pastors, organizers and activists. We will come together through a hip hop showcase to express our solidarity with women’s rights!

The South Bronx is a community that has been in constant resistance, seeking justice in education and the environment. It is a community resisting pollution, asthma, toxic wasteland, and budget cuts for art, music, and gym programs. It is a community that lacks access to healthy fruits and vegetables, adequate health care and after school programs. The South Bronx’s need for reproductive and sexual health education is highly reflected in its high levels of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.
In place of access to healthy alternatives, the South Bronx has an over abundance of jails and prisons.

However, the South Bronx is not lost. It has experienced a period of healing through leadership guided by community organizations and collectives. This leadership has lead to the creation of new parks, food co-ops, recycling programs, and successful cultural community centers. We have won many amazing victories as a community!
Join us as we fuse our energy, our politics, our ancestry, our traditions, art, song and dance into a brew for Environmental Justice and Education Equality.

Turn Up the Heat and Let the Soul Simmer, as We Stir this Soup for the Hip Hop Soul!

SAVE THE DATE

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, Vol. 3: Back To Our Roots, Environmental Justice, Education Equality
When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010
Where: The Hostos Center for Arts and Culture
450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) Bronx, NY
(Main Theater)
Time: TBA (most likely 2-5pm)
This event is FREE and open to all ages.
for more information about the event, please
visit our website @ http://www.mhhk.org
or email hiphopkitchen@gmail.com

Kathleen Adams and Lah Tere, Founders of Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen

Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen (MHHK) is a multifaceted hip hop event designed to showcase women artists, especially women of color. MHHK serves as a social justice community-organizing platform that educates and empowers women of color on issues that impact their lives, including HIV/AIDS and reproductive justice. Our mission is to create a dynamic interactive exchange and safe space for all women of color to express themselves through their art.

Indie Filmmaker Resources from S.A.G. Indie

Posted on by

Your friends at the Screen Actors Guild (“SAG”) have created an “indie” version at SAGIndie (http://www.sagindie.org). An interesting concept, but it’s up to you, the filmmaker, to decide if it’s helpful.

There are a number of administrative forms to keep your set and crew on-track –your investors will love that. No more little pieces of paper, random receipts, and indiscriminate scheduling.

You can even put a call out for casting, and add your business to their directory.

More info: http://www.sagindie.org

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION: The Writers Place

Posted on by

WRITERS PLACE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION
MEET AND COLLABORATE WITH AGENTS AND PRODUCERS
COORDINATE WITH PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Click for More Info: http://www.thewritersplace.org/screenplay_contest.shtml

We accept full-length features & MOWs, short film scripts, and TV scripts (1/2 hour)

Final Submission Deadlines: 15 May & 15 November

All participants receive a $50 coupon toward a Writers Place script consultation. In this sense, everyone wins! One coupon per script. Coupons expire six months after submission.

1ST Prize:
Certificate of achievement, plus submission to top agents and producers, free Final Draft Screenwriting Software or commensurate cash, a one-year subscription to any two of the magazines cited below.

2ND Prize:
Certificate of achievement, screenplay submitted to a literary agency, and a one-year subscription to any two of the magazines cited below.

3RD Prize:
Certificate of achievement, screenplay submitted to a literary agency, and a one-year subscription to any one of the magazines below.

5 Indispensable Websites for Filmmakers

Posted on by

If you’re a 21st century movie-maker, then youcan’t pass up the following sites to help promote your film! Most of your audience will hear about your film through an online presence, not your uncle at church. Make sure you have an email account to sign up for any of these sites!

5. Bullet Film

For free you can upload your film, and setup a film presence for your audience. If you have a trailer, that’s even better!

4. IndieGoGo

IndieGoGo is new on the scene, but is already impacting filmmaking and filmmakers! Get people to donate to your film, communicate with your fans, and network with other filmmakers! (And don’t forget to “friend” IBWFF when you get there!!)

3. Film Festivals.com

Where else can you find the ultimate, international film festival guide? Better site for the larger film festivals, like the Berlin Film Festival or the San Francisco Film Festival.

2. Media-Convert.com

Convert almost any digital media to another format, including adjustments for sound, frames, size, etc. …and it’s all for FREE!

1. YouTube

YouTube is the film-/video-/movie-maker’s crack. The cons, is that your film is available …to everyone. If you have some old film school clips just sitting around, upload them and create a buzz and discussion around your work!

5 Friendliest Venues for Showing Your Film!

Posted on by

As the curator and founder of the International Black Women’s Film Festival, you can believe I’ve scoped, prodded, questioned and “dealt with” a whole bunch of screening venues in San Francisco and Oakland.

To save you the hassles and the headaches, here are the “friendliest” and best locations to show your film!

Rental Fees:

$ = Cheap  | $$ = Affordable |  $$$ = You May Miss a VISA Payment |  $$$$ = You May Need to Sell a Kidney

5. Sundance Kabuki (Japantown – San Francisco)

1881 Post Street @ Fillmore, $$$$

The renovations that were done on this place are amazing! I’ve had the personal tour of seeing some of the changes, including their sustainable design, which includes bamboo flooring that simulates wood. A big plus is that they have a restaurant next door, and a bar, just in case you win the lotto and would  like a dining and dancing with your debut. (The San Francisco Film Society uses this space, so either you’ll think it’s the coolest spot ever, or just over saturated.)

4. San Francisco Main Public Library (Civic Center – San Francisco)

100 Larkin Street, $

This 235-seat gem of  a theater is tucked (or hidden) away in the basement of San Francisco’s Main Library. This site would have been my number-one choice, but the Coordinator, Amanda Hall, was sent to a different location, and replaced by a less friendlier version. The tech people are fantastic, and patient. The requirements are a bit archaic and confusing, but if you get someone who was as great as Amanda, you’ll just be slightly confused and overwhelmed. Also, remember, this is the PUBLIC library. Any and all manner of the public may just join your screening…

3.  Foreign Cinema (Mission District – San Francisco)

Between 21st and 22nd Streets, $$$$

Fine dining, wine and film… who could ask for anything more. The configuration may be a little quirky and uncomfortable, but it’s a good atmosphere for fundraising, premiere screenings and special occasions. The big plus is that they have other areas within the complex for either small, private dining, or a more lavish reception area.

2. The Oakland Museum (Lake Merritt – Oakland, CA)

1000 Oak Street, $$$

The 2009 International Black Women’s Film Festival held it’s gala opening at the Oakland Museum of California, and the venue was absolutely beautiful. Other local groups use the museum often, including the Bay Area’s First Friday group. The only drawback is: 1) They’re closed for renovations, and 2) the air-conditioning gets turned off after 5:00 pm.  Other than that, look for their  re-opening!

1. The Delancey Street Theater (South Beach – San Francisco)

600 Embarcadero Street, $$

The absolute best kept secret in San Francisco! This clean, professionally equipped theater is hidden within the Delancey Street complex on Embarcadero. It is run by the Delancey Street Foundation, a substance abuse recovery center, and it is one of the best models I’ve seen of a social entrepreneurship in action. This is the fourth time I’ve used this venue, and it’s a gem in the yuppified South Beach crown. It’s also a great example of the what San Francisco is really about. Check them out!

Who Are the Worst?

No vendetta, but I’ve had horrible luck trying to schedule bookings at the following places. Granted people are busy, but when you’re basically giving them money, you just expect a little better service, and maybe a better attitude out of some of them. (Sorry we weren’t Pixar, but we had the money, too…) Maybe you’ll have better luck or a secret decoder ring for getting a response.

1. The Victoria Theater (SF) – Stank attitude.

2. Museum of the African Diaspora (SF) – Just unresponsive

3. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF) – Always an excuse why the screening room is booked or scheduled for something else… no matter how early you try to book it.

4. African American Museum and Library (Oakland) – So unresponsive I just assumed they were shut down.

5. 111 Minna Street (SF) – Talk about passive-aggressive. Emails, nothin’. Telephone call and an actual connection with the instructions, “Sure! Just email me the details!” Crickets.  I’ve tried on several occasions for several years, and their just have their own posse and their own agenda… I guess.