New Media

Tribeca 2013: Story First at TFI Interactive

TFI Interactive reminds filmmakers to let go of buzzwords and focus on storytelling.


The Imagination Room at Storyscapes, part of TFI Interactive. Photo by Maddy Kadish.

Terms like transmedia matter less than the work, assures Ingrid Kopp, director of digital initiatives for Tribeca Film Institute "Technology is a tool, like a camera. The more you view it as a tool, the less scary it becomes." Kopp curated and organized the multi-faceted TFI Interactive, held during Tribeca Film Festival.

TFI Interactive (TFII), an all day conference about technology and film, was held on April 20th in conjunction with the Tribeca Film Festival. Now in its second year, TFII explored interactive film, transmedia, and social media, among other topics, through brief and lively panels and presentations.

How to Talk Experimental Film: A User's Guide

Experimental filmmaker and artist Minhae Shim shares her unique POV on the evolving terminology for an area of film that leans toward indecipherable.


Minhae Shim pictured here with(in) her video installation, "Video Sassoon."

Underground may no longer exist but the world of experimental film is teeming with new species everyday. If it takes one to know one, then The Independent has artist/filmmaker Minhae Shim here to share how she uses the terms experimental, avant-garde, and more.

As a medium, film is unique because it captures life in a way that cannot be captured through other forms of art, like painting or photography. Film is able to represent time, its duration, and motion, which brings it the closest to capturing life itself. Even the most conventional, mainstream film or video is able to accomplish this captivating feat.

10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2012

The Independent chooses the 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2012.

A still from <i>Losing Ferguson</i>, a film by one of the Independent's 10 to Watch in 2012, Trisha Gum.

The Independent shines a spotlight on 10 innovative filmmakers to keep your eye on this year, and coming years. We've got web series creators, animators, and filmmakers of all genres... and in the last month we've been releasing exclusive new extras on Facebook.

It's another year, and time to announce 10 filmmakers we at The Independent think you should keep your eye on. It's a varied group, to be sure, but each filmmaker has a few key things in common: talent, drive, and the desire to innovate.

10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2011

The Independent's Nikki Chase lists the top 10 filmmakers we think you should watch this year.


An image from "When the Mountains Tremble," a film by Pamela Yates, one of our 10 to Watch. Photo by Jean-Marie Simon © 2011.

Wondering who will be named to The Independent's 10 to Watch 2012 list? Here's a reminder of last year's inspiring filmmakers as we put the finishing touches on this year's roll out.

It's time for our annual 10 Filmmakers to Watch list. We’ve pooled our resources and brainpower to get the scoop on who’s who this year.

Facebook Exclusive Content for 10 to Watch

Via Facebook, The Independent announces our 10 to Watch in 2011 with one filmmaker (and one piece of exclusive content) per day, from May 6th through the 15th.

A still from <i>Short Term 12</i>, a film by Destin Daniel Cretton, one of The Independent's 10 filmmakers to Watch.

We'll be announcing our annual list of 10 of the most talented filmmakers we think you should keep your eye on by posting exclusive content daily on our Facebook page.

Editor's Note: This collaborative reporting effort was led by Nikki Chase, Maddy Kadish and Beth Brosnan.

Beyond a Social Network

At SXSW, Steven Abrams explores the threads between technology, fundraising, and independent filmmaking.


A still from the film <i>Life in a Day</i>.

What's interactive to the third or fourth power? SXSW and its deepening relationship to all things tech and social media. Steve Abrams comments on how, at this year's fest, the intersection of social networking, fundraising, and technology affected the showcased films and which filmmakers are leading by example.

South by Southwest (SXSW) has become a convergence of film, interactive media, and music, as the lines between these media have increasingly blurred. So it's appropriate that David Dworsky and Victor Köhler's documentary, Press Play Pause, was chosen for an opening night premiere.

Distributor FAQ: FilmBuff

In an interview with FilmBuff's Chris Horton, The Independent asks about the evolving landscape of digital distribution, and whether or not it's an independent filmmaker's new best friend.


A still from "The Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie."

More and more filmmakers use digital release platforms like iTunes, Netflix Streaming, and Video-on-Demand. Chris Horton, head of acquisitions for FilmBuff, explains the role his company can play in digital distribution.

FilmBuff is a digital distribution service provided by Cinetic Rights Management (CRM). Although FilmBuff is less than three years old, its sister company, Cinetic Media, has been a major player in film sales since 2001.

How an Innovative Web Doc Secured Traditional Distribution

French filmmakers David Dufresne and Philippe Brault used web engagement to stir interest in American prison reform.


"Prison Valley" starts traditional and goes multimedia to engage its audience.

Led by two French filmmakers, the web doc Prison Valley addresses prison reform in the US with an interactive online format, making a splash in the world of digital journalism and securing distribution with Arte TV in France.

Prison Valley, a multimedia prison reform project, tells the tale of Fremont County, Colorado: a tiny patch of the Southwest packed with 13 prisons and a local economy that revolves around the incarceration of 7,735 people—many of whom are the county’s own residents.

A Meeting of Worlds: YouTube Biennial at the Guggenheim

Courtney Sheehan reports on the Guggenheim’s foray into digital culture and the mixed reactions to merging low and high culture


Your video could get the Guggenheim seal of approval.

YouTube and the Guggenheim are joining forces to orchestrate “the first biennial of creative video,” called YouTube Play. The Independent's Courtney Sheehan ponders the high-meets-low aspect of this endeavor with help from the blogosphere.

The Guggenheim Museum: one of the art world’s most venerable institutions, home of masterpieces from the Impressionist movement to the modern era.

Struggle and Triumph for Haiti's Ciné Institute

Against all odds, students and faculty at Haiti's Ciné Institute use their cameras to transform pain and destruction into artful moving images.


The tent that functions as Ciné Institute's classroom.

In a special report for The Independent, Beth Brosnan speaks with students and staff of Ciné Institute, Haiti's only professional film school, about life after the region's devastating earthquake. Brosnan explores how, months later, they're using filmmaking techniques to cope with tragedy, rebuild, and even thrive in the face of adversity.

On January 12th, Haiti’s only professional film school, Ciné Institute, lost its main building in the massive earthquake that devastated the Port-au-Prince region.

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