Online panel will talk indie filming
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I’m sure many a weekend warrior has gone into the Memorial Day stretch with camera in hand and team in tow so they could take advantage of three consecutive days to shoot scenes to their hearts’ content. I’m also sure many are biting their lips in frustration this Memorial Day as ongoing social distancing has thwarted their recent plans. Since there are many aspects to the filmmaking process that can still be practiced while stuck at home such as increasing one’s working knowledge of it, the Central Illinois Film Commission has stepped up with a useful alternative. The Springfield group is hosting a panel discussion via Zoom tomorrow, Saturday, May 23, 1-2:30 p.m., called “Microbudget Filmmaking in Central Illinois” and it will be moderated by Laura Richter of Spencer Films, also based in the capital city. Each hour is to be punctuated by a major “p” of how a movie comes together – pre-production, production, post-production – and delve into subtopics that every media storyteller might want to better understand. Guests in the program include John Isberg of Swede Films in Urbana, Kimberly Conner of Predestined Arts & Entertainment in Springfield, and Ben Harl of Silver Compass Studios in Decatur, all of whom have genre features in the works – a throwback slasher, a contemporary thriller, and a comedy-horror pastiche, respectively – that will commence filming when pandemic restrictions are eased enough to allow all the logistics to come together. Click here to read the Facebook event outlining details about the panel. This follows a similar outreach led by Isberg for his Workshop Films Collective in which he connects members and speakers every week using Zoom to keep them engaged. If you are also interested in how the Chicagoland film community is processing the shutdown, a similar Zoom session cosponsored by Independent Film Alliance Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival, “Indie Film Town Hall,” will go live next Thursday, May 28, from 12 to 1 p.m. A recording of that will be shared on YouTube.
~ Jason Pankoke
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