Sponsored by Cleveland State University's School of Communication in association with the Cleveland International Film Festival. Moderated by Cleveland State University Film and Digital Media faculty and local film professionals.
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Saturday March 28

11:30 AM - 1 PM
Fade In: Start Writing - Before there can be a film there has to be a script. This panel will discuss the art and craft of writing for the screen, beginning with the question of how and where writers find ideas for films and then how those ideas are developed into a script. The panel will also discuss how the screenplay functions as a blueprint for production and what each member of the production team needs from the script. Other subjects will include the relationship between writers, directors, and producers, the place of the writer in the industry and production process, and various approaches to screenwriting. Feature length narrative films, shorts, and documentaries will all be subjects of our panel's dialog, concentrating on the different forms and formats required by each type of film.

1:30 PM - 3 PM
Action: Start Shooting - Translating the script or treatment into action and dialog is the next task confronting the would-be filmmaker. This panel will look at the range of activities that makes this move from script to screen possible, beginning with the often overlooked steps of pre-production, budgeting, scheduling, casting, locations, and enlisting crew members. The role of the director in the production process will be a particular area of focus, covering such important issues as shot breakdown, visual style, directing the actor, and communicating with the crew. A variety of other crew roles and responsibilities will also be discussed including those of the Director of Photography and Art Department with an emphasis on putting together the right combination of elements to make a successful film.

3:30 PM - 5 PM
Cut: Start Editing - Once the shooting stops the real work of filmmaking begins. Taking the material gathered during production and putting it together into a coherent form is certainly as great a challenge as getting the film shot. This panel will discuss the series of steps through which the collection of raw sounds and images is sculpted into a finished work. Different approaches to editing, the collaboration of director and editor, and the stages of the process from assembly edit to fine cut will be discussed by the panel participants. Also included will be the sound editing process, which is so important to the creation of a high quality film. The use of sound effects, music selection, music rights, and the audio mix are some of the topics that will be addressed by this panel.

Sunday March 29

12 - 1:30 PM
Roll It: Start Showing - As any filmmaker can attest, making a film is only the beginning of the struggle. An often far greater challenge is getting that work seen by an audience. This panel will focus on the many ways independent filmmakers can get their works seen, with an emphasis on film festivals and a variety of distribution channels. The issues of how to submit to festivals, the types of films that tend to be of interest to festival programmers, and the broad range of film festivals that exist today will all be discussed. Finding distribution is one of the most difficult obstacles to getting any film seen and the panel will talk about the various types of distribution, the best way to package your film for a distributor, and the problems and prospects of self distribution.

2 - 3:30 PM
Location Ohio: Start Here - This panel will look at the opportunities and challenges for regional filmmaking in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The difficulties of making films so far from the center of the moving image industries will be examined along with the possibilities offered by a supportive and energetic creative community. Filmmakers who have either come from the region or made their films here will share their experiences raising money, finding actors and other collaborative artists, and finishing their films to give a clear sense of the problems and potentials for developing a more active film culture in Northeast Ohio. How the unique qualities of the region contribute to the filmmakers' visions and help to make their work distinctive will also serve as a focus for the discussion.

All panels will be held at:
Cleveland State University
School of Communication
Music and Communication Building
2001 Euclid Avenue
Auditorium: MU107

The panels are free and open to the public. No registration is necessary. There is parking on the street around the Music and Communication Building and in the lot behind the building at 19th Street and Chester Avenue. For further information contact: Dr. Evan Lieberman e.a.lieberman@csuohio.edu or 216-687-4637.

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