filmmaker

WHATEVER IT TAKES: A Strong Vision

Right before you start a documentary film, before you shoot a second of footage, what do you have? You might know who your main characters will be, but you have no idea of how they will “perform” on camera. You might know the history behind your project, but who knows how you’ll portray it. What we do have, of course, is a vision of what the film can be. This latter vision was the genesis for my documentary WHATEVER IT TAKES.

WHATEVER IT TAKES: Almost There

So I need to apologize again for the long absence between blog posts here… As you might imagine, things have been incredibly busy as we get to the very end of the film. Right now, we are consumed with three major tasks: finishing the edit, crafting the animation, and choosing a composer.

Co-Presentation: Women Wielding Cameras Film Festival

International filmmakers Kimberlee Acquaro and Marlo Poras are among the filmmakers who will speak and answer questions about their award-winning films screening at I.M.O.W.’s Women Wielding Cameras free Film Festival in the San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium on Saturday, June 14.

Co-presentation of the 4th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival

Presented by the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) The 4th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival showcases the explosive stories of our community, from the quick turns of a dyke couple on a mission to conceive to the fierce shimmy of big bodacious babes to the dynamic strut of a queer secret agent, these fly films will let you get down, get funky and get loose!

WHATEVER IT TAKES: There Can Only Be One

What’s more interesting in a documentary? A story about one person or many? If you capture the lives of four or five individuals, it seems like you would have an interesting mix of narrative threads to follow. But if you follow just one person around, you might not get enough action to fill out your film.

WHATEVER IT TAKES: We got into Sundance!!!

Well, kind of… I should explain. Since July 2007, WHATEVER IT TAKES has been supported by the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund. Besides CAAM, Sundance has been our other major backer, providing us with not only a large grant, but also much needed creative and technical assistance.

WHATEVER IT TAKES: We Are a Family

Everyone tells you that you can’t make a film by yourself. So true. But while it’s absolutely crucial to have a wonderful camera crew and editing team, it also really helps to have an awesome film organization (or two) backing you up. For this project, we have had amazing support from CAAM, and I want to spend some time bragging about them… (FYI, CAAM did not put me up to this; this is completely my own doing.)

WHATEVER IT TAKES: The Man and the Mission

For those of you who have been keeping track of this blog about my film “Whatever It Takes”, let me first apologize for being a bad, bad blogger these past four weeks. I do have a decent excuse, though, because I was incredibly busy planning some fundraising events in three different cities. As someone who has never done this before, let’s just say that it was (and continues to be) a mighty difficult undertaking.

IFP Independent Film Labs: Call for Entries

Open to first time feature directors in the later stage of narrative and documentary post-production, the Labs identify high quality, independent features that can benefit from the support and expertise of experienced film professionals. Led by seasoned independent producers, the Labs help independent filmmakers achieve the full potential of their material prior by providing feedback and advice.